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A NUMBER OF scholars and academics took part in a protest outside the Iranian Embassy in Dublin today over the imprisonment of an Irish citizen in Iran.
Homa Hoodfar is a professor and anthropologist based at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada and is an Irish citizen from her first marriage.
Hoodfar was arrested and imprisoned in Iran on 6 June 2016 and her supporters say she has been held in solitary confinement since. She is said to have been charged with collaborating with a hostile government against national security, and propaganda against the state.
Her supporters (who run a website dedicated to her release) say that Hoodfar – who is 65 – has a serious neurological condition and that her health is declining rapidly.
Amnesty International has seen 40,000 people send a message to Iranian authorities calling for Hoodfar’s release.
The Canadian and Irish authorities are being urged “to do everything within their diplomatic ambit to secure her release”.
Speaking from Brazil, Hoodfar’s neice Amanda Ghahremani told TheJournal.ie:
The latest news that we have about Homa is her hospitalisation – we know she was hospitalised in August and she is now back in prison. We have had very little information on her health condition, why she was hospitalised, or whether she is doing better. We don’t know how long she was in hospital and so we’ve had very little information on her coming out of prison.
Ghahremani said that Hoodfar travelled to Iran in February to visit friends and family. Two days before she was due to return to Canada, she was stopped by guards in her home.
“She was questioned about her work and she was ultimately told that she was being investigated for essentially dabbling in feminism.”
She posted bail and was able to stay in her residence there for the first three months with “constant interrogations” but then was imprisoned.
“She is Irish, she has an Irish passport and the Irish government has a responsibility of care for her,” said Ghahremani, who has been in touch with the Department of Foreign Affairs on the issue.
But she says she is disappointed with the “lack of engagement and creative engagement with Iran” on behalf of the Irish government.
Her niece said that Hoodfar is being accused of being “a key player in trying to impose western feminism in Iran”. She said this is a disservice to women in Iran who have been fighting for their rights for hundreds of years.
Hoodfar’s work includes researching Muslim women’s lived realities and how they engage meaningfully in their society.
When Hoodfar was doing her PhD and Masters in the UK, she built up links to the Irish community there, says her niece.
Irish involvement
Canada does not have direct diplomatic relations with Iran, but Ireland has an Iranian embassy in Dublin.
“So my hope has been and continues to be Ireland should step up and take a more proactive role,” says Ghahremani, adding she believes Ireland should collaborate with the Canadian government in dealing with Hoodfar’s case.
She hopes that today’s protest will show the level of support in the country for Hoodfar and “that [the Irish government] do see that they have a responsibility to her as an Irish citizen and that they send their ambassador to Iran”. The ambassador is based in Turkey.
Asked about her fears for her aunt, Ghahremani said:
I’m absolutely scared that her health is deteriorating. That her medical conditions that she had prior to imprisonment are being exacerbated. And I can only imagine the amount of psychological and physical pressure she is under. She is 65 years old – she is already quite a frail woman.
Her family are concerned she won’t be able to endure these conditions much longer, says her niece.
The protest today was organised by academics from Ireland “who wanted to show solidarity with a fellow citizen and fellow colleague”, said Ghahremani.
“They were in their full academic regalia and it was a point that they were trying to make which is their support for academic freedom and support for an Irish citizen who regardless of where her life has taken her in her trajectory is Irish. This was a statement for the Irish government to pay attention and to make her case a priority and also [to show Iran] that she is an academic first and foremost.”
Ghahremani said she is willing to travel to Ireland to speak to the Irish government about her aunt’s situation.
“I hope that they take this opportunity of the protest and media coverage, and my willingness to really engage,” she said.
TheJournal.ie has contacted the Department of Foreign Affairs for comment on the protest.
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Nice to see a young intelligent person with vision entering government for a change.
She’s FF, a long, lucrative career at the expense of the taxpayer awaits as she tows the party line.
I’ve seen Lisa talk to the public before. She is composed, intelligent, and knows her stuff. Easy on the eye is a nice addition as well
Throughout the election there were a number of candidates who used repealing the 8th as part of their manifesto knowing full well that their parties probably won’t have a referendum. Now they’re elected it’s the whole ‘it’s not me, it’s my party’. They knew exactly what they were doing all along.
Sorry for butting in on this article, for some strange reason the Journal won’t let me post the link, you need to go to Facebook and read Lynn Boylan’s post in relation to Water Charges…. Direct from Brussels, we have been lied to by FG,FF,and Lab, but its not to late we have until the 22 March….
If she’s intelligent why didn’t she join a party that shares her views. FF is a big club for opportunists, where achieving power is more important than campaigning with those who share your principles. There are almost no policies where everybody in the party agrees.
James – Her family probably are FF, or maybe FF have helped her, her family, or area. Who knows. Doesnt matter really
James, no person in any party agrees with everything that may be part of the parties policy.
FF vote on various pieces of policy at Ard Feis, some agree, some oppose.
It’s called democracy.
Again it’d like her to explain the test for rape!
Peadar, you’re forgiven..
i have seen the article it clearly shows we have been lied to again and again and again by FF FG LABOUR
The restricted abortion she is discussing is an Irish solution to a real problem. It’s abortion in very restricted circumstances…. a perfect fudge for spineless politicians who can say they have legislated on one hand but made it so restrictive that in reality it is unworkable. The truth is many hundreds of women make the journey to England each year. Provide the choice and let grown women make up their own minds. It’s not as if these abortions won’t happen anyway.
@Deborah, when assault victims aren’t believed because they don’t look bruised enough, it’s going to be impossible to prove rape in a timely fashion… which is probably what the anti choice, anti abortion supporters want.
**ALERT**
Fine Gael and Labour’s lies have been blown out of the water.
They lied that our exemption was gone. It’s not but it will be if you do not wake up now…
March 22nd is the deadline to notify the EU commission that Ireland will not be charging for water by meter.
It is imperative that pressure is applied now or it will be too late..
You MUST contact your local TDs and inform them of this deadline and that you demand the Water Basin Plan to be withdrawn so that it may be amended to reflect the outcome of the election.
Failure to do so will guarantee that you will end up paying those water bills…
Well actually her family are all FG. I’ll have you know
I wonder why she didn’t make that clear before the election..
She signed the NWI pledge which included supporting repealing the 8th
Well then she is supporting the wrong political party ff is the political end of the church and also she said on vb that she will be standing against appealing the 8th she speaks from both sides of her mouth proper ff
Lisa should have joined a more modern party then those church lovers ff they are stuck in the past that lot
Church lovers perhaps, but mostly just know where their core vote is – Werther’s Original Munching, craw-thumpers.
Looking forward to your articles on those TDs that are pro-life.
Wonder why she’s in FF?
I am no fan of FF but lisa is right. Just think all you Men abs Women out there if you were raped by an individual who maybe mad as well as someone who has no respect for women or your wife Daughter Sister whoever is carrying a child who will not survive in the womb. Or the worst your Father or brother or any member of your Family uses one of you siblings as a he would his wife, put yourselves in their place and ask yourselves could i have a child after going through that experience. I am anti abortion but if any of these things
happened to me i would Abort.
And remember we are not in the minds of these Women.
Von..bang on,it’s disgusting to think that these people play with women’s/families lives,all in the name of what.
Von, how are we women supposed to prove we’ve been raped in order to have the abortion? No rape trial – IF the case even goes to trial wou.d happen in less than 24 weeks.
You don’t need a trial to prove rape
I’m pro choice in certain circumstances. This is about equality, choice and self autonomy for our second class citizens. But it’s a moral issue, and morals transend humanity, so hopefully people will leave their religion out of their decision making process on this one. This new TD at least is thinking progressively.
Who are our second-class citizens?
You knooooow
The vaginally abled.
Daisy..feminist I guess.
Ding ding ding!
What gave me away?
You forgot the dong. .
Never!
Ever never, populist or feminist….I bet you don’t even know. .
Her tune will change quicker than a thin whistle on cocaine. Once the snout is in.
You can see the party genes flowing through her.
Pure Fianna Fail DNA.
Already a safe pair of hands.
A long career in politics awaits her.
Could she be the beginning of a new FF dynasty?
As a country we need to have a conversation or discussion on the issue. I’m sick to death of politicians coming out with this shite. The time for talking is over, we need action. Let the people decide.
We need to have a conversation or discussion. The time for talking is over. Brilliant.
just small debates will do, feels like aeons at this stage, like how many rapist’ss unwanted children roaming the streets at the moment? makes me sick!
I’ve seen enough unwanted neglected children in my life time, and I’m in my twenties. it really is the greatest show on earth…
So you want to find these rapists’ children and kill them?
HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEWS FROM LYN BOYLAN IN BRUSSELS RE WATER CHARGES SHE HAS BLOWN THE LIES THAT FF FG AND LAB HAVE BEEN RAMMING DOWN OUR THROATS OUT OF THE WATER PARDON THE PUN
Wtf did I not just read ?
Found this Rose
http://www.sinnfein.ie/contents/38981
What has this got to do with the above story or repealing the 8th amendment?
With respect to the newly elected TD, this is NOT news, Fianna Fáil have repeatedly stated their non position on #RepealThe8th. Today we see Praveen Halipanaavar recieve a “settlement ” , what has changed? How many more women since Savitas death have been forced to seek terminations out of this state. IMO the decision must lie with us the people, not on the whimsy of politicans. Referendum NOW
Oh well, if you’re uncomfortable with it Lisa, we’ll just continue to ignore the hardship of thousands of Irish women who must leave the state to access a safe, necessary and common place medical procedure. Forget about the discomfort of pregnancy or the strains of forced parenthood. We wouldn’t want you to feel uncomfortable about other peoples’ lives now would we.
“Whether you be in favour of repealing it, not in favour of repealing it, [and] if you do want to repeal it, what kind of services do you want afterwards? They’re questions that, as a country, we need to have a conversation about and answer those questions.”
I’ll leave that to the scientists thanks.
Disgusting filthy religions. GTFO of my ovaries.
oh yeah red thumpers, who needs science when your got the spiritual beings in the funky frocks!!
FYI there is no god(s).
*you’ve got
on a lighter note, I found this mock website, http://www.landoverbaptist.org/news0203/childpurchase.html
religion has illogical demands. separate the superstitious clap trap from the state!
You got a story to tell….
a tale or two. are you all eyes Peter?
Blah blah blah I’ll say what you want to hear Fianna Fáil
Was pretty sure I saw her assert this by an election clip some time ago I could well be wrong, either way fair play to her. Whichever way you feel about the subject collective views on important issues are stupid.
When asked in the debate from Castlebar before the election wether or not she was in favour she wouldn’t comment. Amazing the difference a week can make our our strong minded politicians frame of thought.
It’s almost as if she wants to give each TD a choice. You could possibly say she was….pro choice?
Seriously though, this is the bog standard pro choice line in its purest form. Do what you think is right and allow others to do what they think is right.
Lisa, you are a young newly elected TD. Did your elected ask you to propose the repeal of the 8th Amendment? I doubt it! Did FF set you up as a Guinea Pig?
Murder is always murder! Killing an innocent baby is always murder? Be sensible . Don’t follow the Leader! Don’t allow them to set you up?
Well articulated Lisa about 8th ammendment …watch this space Lisa Chambers has hit the ground running. She is beautiful,intelligent, very well thought out and well spoken. She is measured in her responses and pragmatic. Could we be looking at first Female Leader of FF.I think so.
SHe can spout all she likes, BUT at the end of the day she will be told to follow party line ,and what way to vote such is the curse of party politics in Ireland ,vote the way your told or else you are out ,
have your say