Shiva Mahbobi

Shiva Mahbobi (Persian: شیوا محبوبی ) (born 1968) is an Iranian political activist currently residing in the United Kingdom. She is best known as the spokesperson for Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran CFPPI.[1] A political prisoner is defined as anyone engaged with issues of governance and society, for which they have been arrested. Mahbobi campaigned to establish The 20th of June[2] as an annual International day of action to support political prisoners in Iran. The 20th of June campaign attracted the attention of international organisations such as the European Parliament,[3] the EU parliament, and the governments of different EU countries.

Shiva Mahbobi
شیوا محبوبی
Born1968
NationalityIranian
OccupationPolitical activist

Mahbobi was appointed as the coordinator and the spokesperson of the Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran (CFPPI)[1] in 2010. CFPPI is a non-profit organisation which was initially established in 2006 by a group of Iranian ex-political prisoners. Mahbobi is also the producer and presenter of a Persian Television program called 'For Political prisoners'[4] which focuses on the situation of Iranian political prisoners and is broadcast fortnightly to Iran and Europe.

Shiva Mahbobi is a renowned figure for her efforts to improve the situation of political prisoners in Iran. Shiva's biography is featured in Death of Neda Agha-Soltan For A Free Iran.[5] Mahbobi was invited to be a panelist in the Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran[6] organised by the Department of Foreign affairs and International Trade and University of Toronto in Canada in May 2013.[7] This conference was inaugurated by Munk School of Global Affairs.[8] Mahbobi also appeared in various English Language as well as Persian language radio and television stations in the UK and the United States such as the BBC television series The Big Questions,[9] Aljazeera English Television,[10] BBC Persian Television,[11][12] Voice of America Persian Television[13] and Nahade Mardomi Persian Television[14][15] in Los Angeles to name a few.

Life

As a teenager, Mahbobi was a women's rights and students’ rights activist in Iran, campaigning for equality which deemed her "the enemy of God" according to the ruling Islamic Regime of Iran (IRI). Mahbobi therefore was arrested, tortured and imprisoned for over three years at just 16 years of age. She nevertheless continued her political activities after being released from prison, but later had to leave the country for fear of being arrested and executed. She traveled to Turkey, where she sought asylum, and lived for more than two years before moving to Canada in 1994 and then to the UK in late 2001.

Mahbobi, while in Turkey, was member of the executive committee of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees and an activist of the International Campaign in Defense of Women's Rights in Iran. Mahbobi left Turkey to live in Canada where she worked as the coordinator of the Action Committee in Defense of Women's Rights in Iran (ACWRI) where she was actively engaged in raising awareness of the situation of Iranian women with international organisations such as Amnesty International. Mahbobi was one of the main organisers of the International Women's Day in Toronto, Canada in March 2001.

Following her move to the UK, Mahbobi took up a role as the public relations officer of the International Committee Against Stoning (ICAS).[16] The ICAS lead an active campaign against the stoning of women all around the world. Mahbobi is also a women's rights activist and a member of the executive committee of the Equal Rights Now which is an Organisation against Women's Discrimination in Iran.[17] Vogue Magazine recently featured Mahbobi as one of five women making change in Iran.[18]

See also

References
  1. "About Us". Campaign to Free Political Prisoners in Iran. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  2. "About". 20juneiran.wordpress.com. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  3. "Report on a Meeting with EP". 20juneiran.wordpress.com. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  4. "Television program 'For Political Prisoners'". YouTube. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  5. "Shiva Mahbobi profile". Neda For a Free Iran. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  6. "Address by Minister Baird at the Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran". Canadainternational.gc.ca. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  7. The Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran - Session 2 (in Persian). 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  8. "The Global Dialogue on the Future of Iran". Munk School of Global Affairs. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  9. The Big Questions - Do We Misunderstand Islam 3/3 (Television series). YouTube. 24 December 2010. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  10. Shiva Mahbobi -- Aljazeera: On the arrest of US hikers Shane Bauer, Josh Fattal, Sarah Shourd (News interview). YouTube. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  11. دهه ی شصت در ایران [The Sixties in Iran] (Television program) (in Persian). BBC. 10 January 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  12. شکنجه گر کیست؟ [What is a torturer?] (Television program) (in Persian). BBC. 20 April 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  13. روی خط [Online] (in Persian). Voice of America Persian Television. 30 October 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  14. Nahade Mardomi Persian Television (in Persian). YouTube. November 22, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  15. Nahade Mardomi Persian Television (in Persian). YouTube. June 15, 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  16. "International Committee Against Stoning | Save Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani Campaign". Stopstonningnow.com. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  17. "Equal Rights Now: Organisation Against Discrimination in Iran". Equalrightsnow-iran.com. Retrieved 2015-02-23.
  18. ""This Is A Revolution": 5 Women On The Ongoing Fight For Freedom In Iran". British Vogue. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2023-04-05.
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