Azerbaijan, Baku, July 6 /Trend T.Konyayeva/
High Representative Catherine Ashton voiced her concerns over recent arrests of women journalists, artists and women's rights defenders in Iran, the official statement said.
"I am profoundly worried over the many arrests of women journalists, artists and women's rights defenders in recent weeks in Iran. These include photographer Maryam Majd, film-maker Mahnaz Mohammadi, journalist Zahra Yazdani, women's rights advocate Maryam Bahrman and Mansoureh Behkish," said Catherine Ashton, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Ashton called on Iran to respect the right to freedom of expression, in accordance with its international human rights obligations, and to release these women and other detained women's rights defenders immediately.
Late June, the Iranian documentary filmmaker and women's rights activist Mahnaz Mohammadi was arrested by intelligence agents for "unknown" reasons. She was previously arrested in 2009 for protesting the deaths of opposition demonstrators.
Maryam Majd, 25, a photojournalist and women's rights campaigner, is another arrested woman who is being held in Tehran's Evin prison, according to the Kaleme site.
Zahra Yazdani, a journalist working for Asr-e Eghtesad newspaper with expertise in the social and economic arena, was arrested on June, 21 in her house. Her home was inspected and the agents confiscated her personal things.
Maryam Bahrman, arrested on May 11, is an Iranian activist for women's rights and human rights, including the promoters of the campaign "One Million Signatures for Equality", which calls for the revision of laws that discriminate against women in the Republic of Islamic Iran.
Mansoureh Behkish, one of the supporters of the Mourning Mothers, was arrested on June 12, in a street in Tehran.