CSUN to Honor Iranian-American Graduate Student Esha Momeni with its First Academic Freedom Award

CSUN- Cal State Northridge President Jolene Koester will present an Academic Freedom Award to Esha Momeni, an Iranian-American graduate student who was held in solitary confinement in Iran for 25 days last fall while researching the women’s movement there, in a ceremony on Tuesday, May 5.

“Esha Momeni is being honored for her commitment to academic research,” Koester said. “Through her graduate research, Esha was working toward creating a cross-cultural dialog to help us better understand Iranian women. She believed that academic research would promote that goal."

The Academic Freedom Award is being given by CSUN’s Department of Journalism in recognition of Momeni’s pursuit of truth, equality and social justice through academic research.

Momeni, 28, a mass communication student, was arrested on Oct. 15, 2008 in Tehran for videotaping interviews with members of the Campaign for Equality, a gender rights group in Iran, for her master’s thesis. She was held in solitary confinement for 25 days in Evin prison and charged with acting against national security. Momeni has been forbidden to leave Iran since her release from the prison.

To read more click here.

Imprisoning Womens's Rights Activists Does Not Equal Imprisonment of the Women's Movement

The coalition of women's movement groups for the freedom of Alieh Eghdamdoost gave a press conference with the title, "imprisoning womens's rights activists does not equal imprisonment of the women's movement". 
This press conference was held to protest against the carrying out of Eghdamdoost's sentence, and against other sentences of imprisonment confirmed against some of the activists of the women's movement. To this end the lawyers of some of th women's rights activists at this press conference requested that the head of the judiciary in Iran halt these sentences on  account of legal irregularities in the rulings handed down against these activists. 

At this conference, Sara Sabaghian, Esha Momeni's lawyer, after a brief description of Esha's case, added that "although close to 3 months have passed from the time Esha was freed on bail, the heads of the judiciary have maintained a ban on her leaving Iran and contuining her studies" 

Iran and Iranian Women Panel at CSUN Report

photo with courtecy of Jenny Lee and the Daily Sundial

As International Women's Day was approaching, California State University Northridge held a panel with the topic of "Different Views of Iran & Iranian Women" inspired by CSUN graduate student and Campaign member Esha Momeni who has been forbidden to leave Iran for more than 100 days. This panel, which was also broadcast on March 9th on local California radio KPFK, focused on three sets of discussions. Participants were "Free Esha" CSUN graduate student activists Kara Lawton & John Daiquoag, One Million Signatures Campaign member Roja Bandari, and Code Pink members Rae Abileah and Ariel Vegosen who had recently come back from a trip to Iran.

For a full report on this event please click here.
To hear parts of the KPFK report please refer to Professor Wall's blog by clicking here.

ABC News- New Hopes for Freedom Focus on Obama and Iranian Elections

Photo  Courtesy of Sanam Dolatshahi

From a recent comprehensive article in ABC news on Esha:

About her personal well being we read:

At the beginning of her ordeal, Momeni was angry and frustrated that she couldn't go on with her life, her fiance told ABCNews.com. But, "at this point, she's sort of given up hope, but only in order to allow herself to maintain her self-dignity," Hussain [Momeni's fiance] said.

"She has to imagine that she is going to be there forever mentally," Hussain added, "because each day she can't wonder if she might be released tomorrow." He said Momeni fills her time by working on art projects.

And her academic work and work with The One Million Signatures Campaign:

Momeni's friends say her arrest and the confiscation of her research materials don't make sense because she wasn't attempting to make a political statement and was not filming in public without consent, which is against Iranian law. Instead, they say, Momeni was filming intimate interviews in volunteers' homes in her quest to show Americans how stereotypes of Iranian women as weak or helpless are wrong...

"She was trying to bridge these two cultures that have not understood each other for a long time," said Momeni's thesis advisor, Professor Melissa Wall.

And Roja Bandari, a volunteer with the One Million Signatures campaign in California, said the Iranian women who are working on the project in Iran should be considered a source of pride to the country instead of a threat against it.

"They aren't doing anything covert or working to topple the Iranian government," Bandari said, adding that the grassroots movement does not contradict Iranian law.

To read the complete article please click here.

Also on Professor Wall's blog.

"Different Views of Iran & Iranian Women" panel at CSUN March 2

Cal State Northridge  will be hosting a panel discussion about Iran and Iranian women at Cal State Northridge on Monday March 2 inspired by Esha Momeni who has been forbidden to leave Iran for more than 100 days now.

Speakers: 
Code Pink, the US activist women's group, will talk about citizen diplomacy trips to Iran (a new trend among faith groups and others including uber travel expert Rick Steeves.) Rae Abileah and Ariel Vegosen 

One Million Signature Campaign, a grassroots group of Iranian women in Iran and the diaspora which seeks gender equality, and is one of today's most important civil rights campaigns. Roja Bandari 

Free Esha student activists at CSUN who will talk about their archival project to document their activities to free their classmate. Anasa Sinegal, Kara Lawton & John Daiquoag

Where: at the Library Presentation Room- CSUN

When: 3-4:30 pm Monday March 2

Click here for more info on this event in Professor Wall's blog.

"For Esha: A Night of Music, Poetry and Reflection" - Friday, January 23, 2009

This collaborative event between Esha's friend and family, CSUN students and the Campaign members was sponsored and managed by one of Esha's friends, herself a Campaign member. Thanks to two months of intense work, the group was able to put together an impressive and well-managed program and in so doing was able to pay a rich tribute to their friend Esha in the form of a peaceful night of art and music, highly appropriate since Esha herself is both an artist and a musician

A harmonious blend of musical performances and speeches, the event informed attendees about Esha's bright character and various activities, as well as the obstacles faced by the women's rights movement in Iran, all the while relaxing and soothing the souls of those present

You can follow the links to listen to talks from Ms.Elahe Amani(from California State University , Fullerton), Omid Koohi (a friend of Esha, and a volunteer of the One Million Signatures), and Professor Melissa Wall(California State University, Northridge

>>Read More

Also Read Report From CSUN Newspaper

Statement from Esha Momeni's thesis adviser, Melissa Wall

"Classes begin next week and still the Iranian government has not allowed 

our graduate student, Esha Momeni, to return to the United States. Esha was 
first arrested and jailed in October for conducting video interviews for her 
master's thesis about the Iranian women's movement. Although she was 
released in November on a $200,000 bail, she was not allowed to leave Iran 
and missed the entire fall semester.  If she does not return within the next 
few weeks, she will miss spring semester as well.  As 2009 begins, everyone 
is paying close attention to Iran.  The government of Iran has said that it 
wants educational exchanges with the United States, yet it will not allow 
Esha, a dual national, to do exactly that – to return to the U.S. to 
continue her academic work, which aims to present a positive image of 
Iranian women to the West.  In the spirit of supporting cross-cultural 
understanding, we are asking that Esha be allowed to return to California 
this month to resume her studies."