Mansoureh Behkish

Mansoureh Behkish (Persian: منصوره بهکیش‎) is an Iranian human rights activist.[1] She lost six family members during the 1988 executions of Iranian political prisoners.[2][3][4][5] Behkish is an active member of the social justice groups Mothers and Families of Khavaran and Mothers of Laleh Park, two groups that raise awareness for politically motivated killings, detainments, and forcible disappearances in Iran.[3]

In February 2018, Behkish was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail for "propaganda against the state" and "collusion against the country". These were added to a previous 4.5 year sentence from 2011 for "assembling and conspiring with the intent to harm national security" and "propaganda against the system".

Activism

Behkish is an active and prominent member of the social justice groups Mothers of Khavaran and Mothers of Laleh Park (also known as Mourning Mothers).[1]

She was a finalist for the 2013 Front Line Defenders Award for Human Rights Defenders at Risk.[6][7]

Prosecution

Behkish was arrested in 2011.[8] On December 25, 2011 she received a 4.5 year sentence for "assembling and conspiring with the intent to harm national security" and "propaganda against the system".[1][9]

She wrote an open letter to President Hassan Rouhani, in August 2013, in which she described the persecution and legal prosecution she has experienced.[10]

On September 16, 2016, she was stopped at the Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran while boarding a flight to visit her daughter who lives in Ireland.[5] During this incident, her passport was confiscated and she was summoned to appear in front of the Shahid Moghaddas Court at Tehran's Evin Prison.[5] On October 29, 2016, she was informed that she was being accused of “gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security” and “spreading propaganda against the system”[4][3] and about a year later, in February 2018, she was sentenced to 7.5 years in jail.[9] This was added to the previous 4.5 year sentence. A coalition of 20 human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, published a statement accusing the Iranian government of oppressing individuals peacefully seeking truth and justice for the 1980s' executions;[4] a statement that explicitly included Behkish. In another statement, Amnesty International claimed that Behkish's

"conviction stems solely from her peaceful activities to seek truth and justice, including holding commemorative gatherings at her home; visiting the families of victims; taking flowers to Khavaran (a deserted mass gravesite in the south of Tehran), where two of her brothers are believed to be buried in unmarked graves; and posting about Iran’s human rights violations on Facebook and other online platforms".[3]

Amnesty International further elaborated that Behkish was interrogated without a lawyer present and that the subsequent trial took less than an hour.[3]

References
  1. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (13 April 2012). "One Iranian human rights activist released, another sentenced to jail". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-16 – via www.theguardian.com.
  2. "Mother Who Founded Group Memorializing Massacred Political Prisoners of 1988 Summoned to Court After Flight Ban". Center for Human Rights in Iran. 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  3. "IRAN: SUBMISSION TO THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN COMMUNICATIONS PROCEDURE REGARDING REPRESSION OF WOMEN HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDERS" (PDF).
  4. "Joint Statement on Iran: Repression of Those Seeking Truth and Justice for 1980s Killings Needs to Stop". Human Rights Watch. 2017-03-08. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  5. "Iranian human rights activist Mansoureh Behkesh blocked from leaving country". www.ctvnews.ca. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  6. Ireland, Office of the President of. "Media Library". President of Ireland. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  7. "2013 Front Line Defenders Award". Front Line Defenders. Retrieved 2019-06-16.
  8. Dehghan, Saeed Kamali (15 July 2011). "Iranian actor arrested en route to women's World Cup". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2019-06-16 – via www.theguardian.com.
  9. "Mansoureh Behkish". U.S. Virtual Embassy Iran. 2013-04-22. Retrieved 2019-03-01.
  10. "آقای روحانی صدای ما را بشنوید!". Retrieved 2019-03-01.
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