Shima Ghooseh
Shima Ghooseh is a woman human rights defender, lawyer and feminist who works to defend women’s rights in Iran. She has represented Iranian #MeToo survivors and women rights defenders in emblematic cases against the backdrop of systemic, legal, and social challenges faced by women in Iran. Additionally, the woman human rights defender has been actively involved with online campaigning in relation to the anti-victimisation of sexual assault survivors in Iranian society. She has been targeted several times as a result of her peaceful advocacy for women’s rights. In June 2023, the woman human rights defender was summoned by Morality Police for ‘being seen in public without a headscarf’ and later charged with ‘destroying moral security.’
Hope for political reform in Iran surfaced when President Hassan Rouhani assumed office in 2013 and dozens of opposition political figures and human rights defenders were released. However, violations of the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and movement of HRDs continue to be prevalent.
Human rights defenders and journalists are arrested, detained and prosecuted in unfair trials. HRDs continue to receive death threats and are subjected to harassment, arbitrary arrest and detention. They are refused bail or receive extreme bail conditions. HRDs are additionally subjected to systematic surveillance and their family members are targeted. Journalists have been subjected to flogging for criticising the government.
