Iran Bans Women from Watching Tournament in Movie Theaters
Women in Iran could be banned in advance of Iran’s crucial Asian Cup game against South Korea from watching soccer matches in public movie theatres, according to government affiliated Iranian media organizations. The ban would amount to a virtual prohibition on women watching soccer in public given that they are also barred from stadia when men play.
The proposed ban, reported by the semi-official ILNA news agency and Khabar Online, came in response to a statement by an unidentified police agency warning that “the presence of women and families at movie theatres increases security risks and inappropriate behaviour.”
It was not immediately clear whether the Iranian Ministry of Culture and Guidance has confirmed the proposed ban. Iranian movie industry executives said they were waiting to hear a decision from the ministry.
Khabar Online, however, reported that the ban had become effective prior to this week’s match between Iran and the UAE, which was shown in three theatres in Tehran. Khabar Online also reported that women would not be allowed to see the upcoming Iranian match against South Korea.
Iranians have flocked to movie theatres to watch their national team play in Qatar, hoping that a run to the Asian Cup quarterfinals is only the precursor to victory in this year’s tournament.
Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in 2006 reversed a decision by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to allow women to attend soccer games in stadia. Khamenei and other hard-line government officials and clerics argue that the presence of women at men’s sporting events violates Islamic law.
Atousa Pourkashiyan Wins Iran Women’s Chess Championship 2011
Iran Women’s Chess Championship 2011 was held from 7th to 15th January in Tehran. Ten players competed in the round robin tournament. The defending champion WFM Ghazal Hakimifard maintained the lead up to the 8th round and had a good chance to celebrate the double, but WFM Mitra HejaziPour beat her in the last round and ruined her ambition.
On the other side, WGM Atousa Pourkashiyan, winner of the Asian Women’s Chess Championship in 2010 trailed behind Sarasadat Khademalsharieh and Ghazal Hakimifard until the very finish, but then she used the opportunity to overtake the opposition and claim the Championship with a total of 7 points.
Nasrin Sotoudeh Sentenced In Iran
It is evident that the Iranian government fears Nasrin Sotoudeh. The prominent human rights lawyer and mother of two young children has been handed a harsh sentence: 11 years in prison; a 20 years’ ban on practicing law; and a 20 year prohibition on foreign travel.
For years, Ms. Sotoudeh defended women and children in Iran’s complex legal system. In the aftermath of Iran’s disputed presidential election of 2009, she served as the attorney for many Iranians who were arbitrarily arrested for exercising their fundamental rights to free assembly and expression. In September 2010 she herself was arrested and placed in solitary confinement in Evin prison. She protested her appalling conditions there with a series of hunger strikes.
According to the Iranian government, Ms. Sotoudeh was found guilty of “acting against national security,” “not wearing the hijab during a videotaped message,” and “propaganda against the regime.” Amnesty International said she is a prisoner of conscience.
The United States condemns the unjust and harsh verdict against Nasrin Sotoudeh and calls for her immediate release. In a written statement, U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley hailed her as a “strong voice for rule of law and justice in Iran” and noted that her conviction “is part of a systematic attempt on the part of Iranian authorities to silence the defense of democracy and human rights in Iran. It is,” said Mr. Crowley, “one in a series of harsh sentences targeting the lawyers of Iran’s human rights community which perseveres despite threats, torture and imprisonment.”
Mr. Crowley challenged the Iranian government “‘to address the international community’s deep concern at serious human rights violations in Iran’ as expressed in the December United Nations general Assembly resolution and to respect its human rights obligations, including its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
Tight clothing banned at Iranian universities
Iranian universities have been ordered to ban women from “wearing caps or hats without scarves, tight and short jeans, and body piercing,” although earrings will be permitted, according to the semi official Fars news agency. Also prohibited are long nails and tattoos, and male students are also to be barred from wearing tight clothing as well as “very short sleeves.” Iranian laws require all women to cover their hair and wear loose fitting clothing, in accordance with Islamic law established after the 1979 revolution.
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