Nahid Jafari, a women’s rights activist facing a prison and lashing sentence, tells Rooz ‎that suspended sentences are passed by courts to terrorize activists. She is a member of ‎the One Million Signatures Campaign to Change Discriminatory Laws. Read on for the ‎details.‎

Rooz (R): In recent months, women have received court sentences that are not harsh in ‎comparison to the level of their social activism. What does this show and what does the ‎future hold? ‎

Nahid Jafari (NJ): In my opinion, this shows that the existing laws are paternalistic and ‎they [officials] will do whatever it takes to defend and preserve these laws. The women’s ‎rights movement is spending most of its energy right now to change discriminatory laws. ‎They create these conditions to terrorize us, and hold suspended sentences over our heads ‎like batons to prevent us from doing anything. For example, my sentence states that if I ‎commit any crime, my suspended sentence would be executed; but they haven’t defined ‎what that means. So for example, I don’t know whether a mere traffic offense will ‎trigger a response from the courts or not. ‎

R: Sometimes officials talk about their fear that civil society organizations receive aid ‎from foreigners. Do you think that officials may have acted differently if such a fear did ‎not exist? ‎
NJ: They accused some of us during interrogations that we had received support from ‎foreigners. Those of us who are involved in the women's movement know well that these ‎accusations are false. During some interrogations they had also told others that they ‎planned to stop and end the One Million Signatures Campaign. In other words, they ‎themselves don't know their own position. They can't tell us clearly why it is a crime to ‎work for a fully legal and peaceful social cause. ‎

R: What do you think will be the outcome of your sentence?‎
NJ: I have discussed this with my attorney and want to appeal the verdict and will ‎definitely file one. But regardless of this, I believe that we can't ignore such sentences ‎because they have obviously issued them so I stop speaking with my own people and end ‎my activism. ‎