Rights campaign urges Iran to free detained teenager and her mother

The public appeal, published this week under the title Campaign to Support Bita Shafiee, warns that the teenager remains in detention while being held separately from her mother, Maryam Abbasi-Nikoo, who is also imprisoned.

“Bita Shafiee is a child in prison, separated from a mother who is herself incarcerated … Iran, as a member of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, is obliged to uphold fundamental human rights,” the statement reads.

The signatories demanded immediate action to secure the release of both detainees and a transparent account of their legal status and health. They stressed the need for prompt access to lawyers and family members, impartial investigations into any mistreatment, and an end to delays in providing medical or psychological care.

Call for independent monitoring

The campaign says that safeguarding children’s rights “is not contingent on political beliefs” and that all citizens, regardless of family background, are entitled to legal protection, counsel and freedom from arbitrary arrest.

Security forces detained Shafiee, a former political prisoner from Shahinshahr, on November 13. Abbasi-Nikoo was arrested days earlier on November 10 by Intelligence Organization personnel of the Revolutionary Guards. She had previously been detained in July 2022 on a charge of “insulting the prophet” before being acquitted.

Intensified crackdown after June conflict

Rights groups and media outlets report a widening crackdown in recent months, particularly after the 12-day war with Israel. Reuters reported on November 13 that the scope of political repression in Iran has expanded, citing activists who said the escalation was without precedent.

The petition’s organizers highlighted what they called the need for “cross-border solidarity” to press for the safety of the teenager and her mother. International pressure from human rights groups, professional associations and educational networks “can reduce the cost of repression and enable practical support for those at risk,” they wrote.

Most signatures came from inside the country, with additional support from Iranians in Sweden, Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.

The petition reflects growing civic mobilization over arrests that critics say increasingly target minors and family members alongside political activists.