Biography

Mehrangiz Kar, a human rights lawyer from Iran, is an
internationally recognized writer, speaker and activist who
advocates for the defense of women’s and human rights in Iran
and throughout the Islamic world. A common theme in her
work is the tension between the Iranian law and core principles
Kar and sixteen ,2000 of human rights and human dignity. In
other Iranian journalists, activists and intellectuals attended a
conference held at the Heinrich Böll Institute in Berlin entitled
“Iran after the Elections,” where Kar made remarks about the
urgent need for constitutional reform. Upon return to Iran, she
was arrested and taken to Evin Prison, and leveled with various
charges, from “acting against national security” to “spreading
propaganda against the regime of the Islamic Republic.” Kar
was to be additionally tried on charges of “violating the Islamic
dress code at the Berlin Conference,” “denying the commands
January 13 of the shari‘a” and abusing sacred principles. On
she was sentenced to four years imprisonment. Following ,2001
two months spent in prison, Kar was diagnosed with cancer.
Under pressure from the European Union, she was released
.temporarily for treatment in the United States