Abdollah Momeni is an Iran

Iran

Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...

ian student leader and pro-democracy activist. He became involved in the movement in the July 1999 protests, when large numbers of students across the country protested the abolition of pro-reform newspaper Salam. Abdollah Momeni worked as a longtime spokesman of the Alumni Association of Iran (Advar-e Tahkim Vahdat) organization, which focuses on enforcement of democracy and human rights protection.

August 2009 arrest

He was arrested during protests after the election in June 2009 and later sentenced to eight years in prison for his presence at post-election gatherings and activities against national security. According to witness statements, Momeni was subjected to abusive treatment in prison.

International attention

For his efforts in the field of human rights advocacy, Momeni was awarded the 2009 Homo Homini Award

Homo Homini Award

The Homo Homini Award is given annually by the Czech human rights organization People in Need to "an individual in recognition of a dedication to the promotion of human rights, democracy and non-violent solutions to political conflicts"...

 by People in Need

People In Need (Czech Republic)

People in Need is a Czech nonprofit, non-governmental organization that implements humanitarian relief and long term development projects in crisis regions all over the world, while working to defend human rights and democratic freedom....

. He shared the prize with Majid Tavakoli

Majid Tavakoli

Majid Tavakoli is a prominent student leader and political prisoner in Iran. He is a member of the Islamic Students' Association at Tehran's Amirkabir University of Technology, where he studied shipbuilding...

, another student activist leader. Amnesty International

Amnesty International

Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...

 named him a prisoner of conscience

Prisoner of conscience

Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...

and called for his release.