November 11, 2024 - Iran, Tehran

Women Press Freedom unequivocally condemns the sexual assault of journalist Vida Rabbani, who is unjustly imprisoned. This incident perpetrated by prison officers, occurring during a body search, represents a serious violation of her dignity and highlights the pervasive abuse faced by women journalists in Iran.

This is not an isolated incident; we have documented numerous cases of severe mistreatment of women journalists at the hands of the Iranian regime.

We stand in solidarity with Rabbani and all women who have endured such violations in detention, including the denial of urgent medical care for Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi and Sepideh Qolian, the harrowing interrogations that led to Saba Azarpeik suffering a miscarriage, and the denial of communication with family and legal representation for many imprisoned women journalists.

We call on the international community to take immediate action and convey a strong message to Iran: the world will not stand by while women are silenced, imprisoned, and tortured for their pursuit of justice.