Senators call for release of ‘unjustly imprisoned’ women in Iran, Turkey, Egypt, Saudi Arabia

A gaggle of Democratic senators launched a decision Tuesday condemning 4 Center Jap states for the unjust imprisonment of girls. 

Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who heads the Senate International Relations Committee, sponsored the decision together with eight different Senate Democrats, together with Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland. 

The decision included condemnations of Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Saudi Arabia for alleged political imprisonment of girls. The senators demanded the discharge of the next girls the lawmakers stated had been political prisoners.

Iran

Nasrin Sotoudeh, a human rights defender and lawyer convicted in 2019 for her work, which included defending Iranian girls arrested for taking off their head coverings. Sotoudeh will probably be eligible for parole after serving 12 years. 

Atena Daemi, an anti-death penalty activist who was arrested in 2014. 

Sepideh Kashani and Niloufar Bayani, two imprisoned environmentalists. 

Turkey

Hatice Duman, the editor of the socialist information outlet Atilim who was been in custody since 2003. She was convicted of being a member of the banned Marxist Leninist Communist Celebration. 

Aysenur Parildak, a journalist for the Zaman information outlet who was convicted in 2016. Menendez additionally called for her release final 12 months. 

Egypt

Sanaa Seif, a distinguished activist who was sentenced to a 12 months and a half in jail in March for supposedly spreading faux information. 

Saudi Arabia

Maya’a al-Zahrani, an imprisoned girls’s rights activist. A gaggle of bipartisan senators additionally pressed the Saudi ambassador for her launch in November. 

The senators additional referred to as on the US authorities to boost the circumstances of “unjustly imprisoned” girls of their dealings with the related nations. 

The 4 states are often accused of human rights abuses, together with by members of Congress — and never solely towards girls. Iran, Egypt and Saudi Arabia are among the many world leaders in executions.

In July, the US authorities accused Iran of plotting to kidnap an Iranian-American activist in New York, which prompted some Republicans in Congress to name for an finish to the Iran nuclear deal talks. 

The identical month, Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut urged US President Joe Biden to freeze the USA’ in depth army assist to Egypt attributable to human rights considerations. Earlier this month, Egypt’s army launched a video of a soldier capturing a seemingly sleeping enemy combatant, which led to condemnation from a distinguished human rights group. 

Many Democratic senators have grown more and more important of Turkey in recent times. Menendez, Van Hollen and others rebuked Ankara throughout a July listening to for its efforts to ban the main Kurdish social gathering within the nation, actions in Cyprus and extra. 

Final 12 months, a gaggle of Home Democrats criticized Saudi Arabia’s participation within the Group of 20 summit because of the US ally’s human rights file. 

The senators additionally talked about girls imprisoned in China, Belarus and different states within the decision.