One of the most interesting aspects of the movement in Iran has been the extensive involvement of women. Repressed for so long, Iranian women have been very active in the protests. Among a very long list of opposition politicians and protesters arrested or believed to have been arrested is Zahra Rahnavard. The Indepedent:
Amnesty International warned yesterday that those arrested risked being tortured and urged the authorities to allow detainees access to their families, lawyers and medical treatment. "Anyone detained solely for their peaceful expressions of their views regarding the outcome of the election should be released immediately and unconditionally," it said.
Those arrested include Fazeh Hashemi, an MP and daughter of the former president Ali Akbar Rafsanjani, along with four relatives. Ebrahim Yazdi, a former foreign minister and aide to the "Father of the Revolution", has also been detained along with Muhammed Travassali, former mayor of Tehran; Behzad Nabavi, a past figure in the revolution who negotiated with the US during the 1979-81 embassy hostage crisis; and Mohammed Ali Abatabi, advisor to the former president Mohammad Khatami.
The exact number in detention remains unclear. The state prosecutor's office puts the figure at about 550, but, according to some officials inside Tehran's main prison, Evin, nearly 1,000 people have been brought in. Those taken to Evin say they have been forced to make filmed confessions and implicate members of political parties.
Some of the detainees initially taken to Evin have been moved to other prisons including Gohardasht, 12 miles west of Tehran; Prison 209, run by VEVAK, the secret service; and Prison 59, under the control of the Revolutionary Guards. It is in the latter two places that there have been the most persistent reports of mistreatment.
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