The news of Khadijeh Moghaddam’s arrest, reminded anyone who knew her of two ‎obvious qualities of her social activism: moderation and sacrifice. ‎

Mrs. Moghaddam was among the most prominent and experienced volunteer social ‎activists. She began her activist carrier with attempts to save the environment. Her ‎successful experience in Iran’s green movement got her involved in other social activities ‎and turned her into one of the best-known women activists and members of the “One ‎Millions Signatures” campaign. ‎

At the same time, her membership in the campaign and her sense of responsibility ‎towards Iranian women did not undermine her sense of responsibility for victims of ‎injustice and rape in other parts of the world. For this reason, and with the help of several ‎of her colleagues, she helped set up the “Mothers Committee for Peace and Justice.” In ‎its short existence, the Committee left a memorable legacy, ranging from meeting with ‎mothers of detained students to assist them in their quest to pursue their legal and moral ‎demands to staging a demonstration in front of the United Nations office in Tehran to ‎show solidarity with Palestinian mothers. ‎

In addition, Khaddijeh Moghadam was also an active member of the Center of Human ‎Rights Defenders and always, when volunteers were needed to help fellow citizens in ‎need, was at the forefront of the line of volunteers. ‎

Activists in the Iranian civil society do not forget Mrs. Moghaddam’s central role ‎following the Bam earthquake. Following the earthquake, 70 civil society organizations ‎agreed to set up a bank account under my name to collect money for founding a women’s ‎cultural center in Bam. The afore-mentioned organizations selected a committee to lead ‎the project, which was comprised of Khadijeh Moghaddam, along with myself and ‎Behdokht Roshdiyeh. ‎

Where is Iran’s judiciary headed? Why does it fear women like Khadijeh Moghaddam so ‎much that it sends her to prison in handcuffs? ‎

I ask the respected judge, who resides over Mrs. Moghaddam’s case: does a 65-year-old ‎grandmother, who has spent her whole life in public service projects threaten your ‎national security? Where was the respected judge on those cold and hot days when Mrs. ‎Moghaddam was carrying a trash bag to clean up the mountains surrounding the capital? ‎

Do the judiciary’s officials really believe that they can protect the nation against forieng ‎and domestic threats by sending people like Khadijeh Moghaddam to prison in ‎handcuffs? ‎