Iranian wrestling champion's sister gives speech on Women's Day; gets thrown into jail

An Iranian wrestling champion has come against the Islamic Republic's authorities for arresting his sister who gave a speech on International Women's Day seeking women's rights. 

Sardar Pashaei, the coach of the Iranian national youth wrestling team, said his sister Leila Pashaei was arrested for speaking out against the country's discriminatory laws. "My sister, Leila Pashaei, was arrested a few days after giving a speech on March 8, International Women’s Day, where she stood alongside many brave Kurdish women to speak about women’s rights and equality," Pashaei told Iran International.

He alleged that security forces raided her home, arrested her and threw her in Sanandaj prison after charging 'acting against national security'.

'All she did was speak out peacefully for basic human rights—for women to live free from discrimination and oppression," he added.

The wrestler who has won several medals for Iran said arresting his sister and other courageous women will not stop the movement for women's rights in the country. Slamming the country for imposing restrictions on women, he said speaking for equality was not a threat to national security but a rightful demand. 

"The Islamic Republic has isolated Iran from the world, spent billions of dollars on nuclear programs that have brought heavy sanctions, and continues to support terrorist organisations," he said. "These actions have put the safety and future of Iran and its people at risk."

He added that the real threat to Iran’s security comes from the government’s policies and from foreign armed groups like Hamas and Hezbollah.

Leila Pashaei is a famous women's rights activist who has earlier been detained for four weeks during the Women, Life, Freedom protests during the Mahsa Amini incident. Their other brother Saman was also detained by the Iranian agents in September.

Last year another Iranian woman, Zara Esmaeili, was arrested and jailed for singing Amy Winehouse's song 'Back to Black' in public without wearing a hijab. According to western media reports, she was taken into custody after her video went viral on social media.