Education can be scary, sure. But they never told us education could be dangerous.
Esha Momeni, a CSUN journalism graduate student, is starting her second week in prison. Not just any prison, however. Momeni, who was researching the stories of women in the region, is under arrest in Iran. MSNBC reports that the graduate student, who was born in Los Angeles after her father came from Iran to study at CSU-LA, was detained October 15th, and has been imprisoned ever since.
While the Iranian government is giving one story for her arrest, there appears to be another taking place. Momeni is also a member of Change4Equality, a group focused on gaining equal rights for women in the Iran. While the government does not give this as reason for her arrest, it sure seems to be playing a factor:
Momeni was arrested during a traffic stop on October 15. Momeni was told she had illegally passed another vehicle, but then was taken to Section 209 of the Evin Prison, which is managed by the Intelligence and Security Ministry. Iranian authorities searched her home in Iran and seized items including her computer. She has been denied bail and family visits, but has been provided books to read.
People are beginning to cry out against the imprisonment. However, Change4Equality says that members that travel to Iran have been imprisoned before, and are often released within a matter of weeks. They hope the same happens for Momeni. They also are asking the government to not escalate the situation, as doing so could create " political or diplomatic confrontation that could delay [Momeni's] release".
All I can say to this is that I hope they release Esha Momeni soon, because books to read are a small comfort for getting to come home. We at USC's OTR are sending good-thoughts and positive-vibes to her and her family and that they get through this ordeal as easily as they can.