Despite the mass arrests of prominent members, women organizations inside Iran
have decided to go ahead with a previously planned event of peaceful gathering
in front of the Parliament (Majlis). Anti-riot squad police have a visible
presence and violence has been used to disperse the crowd into smaller groups
to further control them. Two prominent members of the women’s
movement, Fatemeh
Govarayi and Marziyeh Mortazi were severely beaten in front of the Parliament.

Fifteen people have been arrested among them Maral Khorami and Gisoo Ahmadi.
The authorities have been prepared for this gathering and have been taking
cautionary measures. All wireless network services have been discounted within
a 2 kilometers radius around the Parliament. Cell phone users are unable to
make/receive calls. The same strategy was used by the Iranian authorities
during the July 1999 mass protest of students to make communication
impossible.
The houses of some of the released women activists, who were arrested on March
4^th in front of the Revolutionary Courts, were searched last night in
intimidation.

Many non-governmental organizations and women’s groups have decided to
participate in today’ protest. There are around one thousand people gathered
today and many famous faces are present including Babak Ahmadi and Khashayar
Deyhimi. These numbers do not include the number of teacher’s who have been
protesting on the same site for the past five days. The teachers are demanding
the education minister Mahmoud Farshidi to step down, their salaries to be
raised and that colleagues fired for political reasons be re-hired. The
protesters are exercising their right to freedom of peaceful
assembly according
to article 27 of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constitution.

Today’s peaceful gathering came to end in a violent atmosphere with
heavy police
presence. Shahla Entesari read the organizers’ statement and the crowd started
to disperse. The Police has confirmed four arrests so far.