| فائزه هاشمی رفسنجانی | |
|---|---|
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 7, 1962 Tehran, Iran |
| Political party | Islamic Iran Participation Front |
| Spouse(s) | Hamid Lahoti (m. 1987) |
| Children | Ali (b. 1990) Saeed (b. 1998) |
| Alma mater | Birmingham University |
| Religion | Usuli Twelver Shia Islam |
Faezeh Hashemi Rafsanjani (Persian: فائزه هاشمی رفسنجانی , born 7 January 1962) is an Iranian journalist, women rights activist, former member of Iranian parliament, and daughter of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.
Between 1996 and 2000, she was a Majlis representative from Tehran and founded the women's newspaper Zan. Rafsanjani is currently enrolled as a student at Birmingham University in the United Kingdom.
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During the 2009 Iranian election protests, Reuters reported that Rafsanjani addressed a crowd at a banned opposition rally in Tehran on June 16, and was subsequently prohibited from leaving the country.[1] She has been arrested and briefly detained at least twice after participating in an opposition rallies in Tehran -- on June 20 2009 (together with four relatives),[2][3] and again on February 20, 2010 after "making blunt statements and chanting provocative slogans," according to Iranian state media.
A couple of videos have appeared on the internet showing her being harassed by hardliners. Sometime before February 27, a video appeared showing Hashemi surrounded by several "hard-liners" threatening her with violence, insulting her, calling her a "whore," and chanting "Death to Rafsanjani".[4]
Faeze favors women's rights, and has been a staunch advocate of relaxation of strict dress code (even though she prefers to wear the chador herself) She does not think it should be imposed on the people. She has traveled widely to Europe, Africa, and India to promote dialogue and is interested in ties with all regions. She has written positively about the effective movements of Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King, and Gandhi.[5]
On 24 December 2011, she was standing trial on charges of making anti-regime propaganda, her laywer was quoted as saying after a closed hearing. After the court told her about her accusation of propaganda against the regime, she and her lawyer gave their defence. Hashemi was arrested and released after taking part in a number of protests which erupted after a 2009 election which saw President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad reelected to office despite opposition claims the vote was rigged. She was arrested again for participating in anti-regime demonstrations in February, 2011.
Her father, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani is facing harsh criticism from conservatives who demand he condemn publicly opposition leaders Mir-Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi - he lost his seat on the powerful Assembly of Experts as a result. Rafsanjani later has distanced himself somewhat from the opposition leaders and he condemned the last anti-government demonstrations staged by their supporters. But his stance has not satisfied the conservatives.
On January 3, 2012, she was sentenced to six months in prison. She has 20 days to appeal.[6]