Peyvast

Those arrested last Sunday were conducting a peaceful protest against the ongoing trial of five of their colleagues, accused by the Iranian court of breaching the public order and security as a result of their participation in a peaceful demonstration for women’s rights in June 2006, the presidency said in a statement.

“The activists were exercising their established right to freedom of assembly and opinion, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations,” said the statement released in Berlin.

“The presidency of the European Union notes that most of the women arrested have now been released. It calls for the immediate and unconditional release of those still being detained and the cessation of proceedings against those already released,” the statement added.

The statement urged Iran to respect universal human rights, “particularly to the principle of non-discrimination on the basis of gender and the right to freedom of opinion and assembly.”

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