Crying out for change.

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The rights group run by Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi issued a stark warning yesterday to the Iranian authorities about what it called growing public despair over human rights and economic pressures.In its quarterly report the Defenders of Human Rights Centre warned the government about the "perilous consequences of a prevalence of public despair"."The bad economic situation with inflation running at 25 per cent, a growing number of unemployed and an ignorance of economic infrastructure" were all areas of concern raised by the group.The centre has complained about hundreds of cases of trials and punitive verdicts handed down against activist students, teachers, labourers and women."The group wishes that the country's rulers... take action to prevent violent reactions from unsatisfied people who have become frustrated that their civil and peaceful efforts" have not borne fruit, the report said.

It lamented "the political system's lack of will to change discriminatory laws against women and a lack of tolerance in hearing cries for change".Iran has stepped up arrests of rights advocates and unionists over the past year.Several female activists

have been jailed for their involvement in the 'One-Million-Signature' campaign seeking equal rights for women in inheritance, divorce and child custody."Imprisonment, flogging and torment are still used against the followers of a movement seeking change for equality through calm and logical protest," it said.The group also touched upon the status of minors in Iranian prisons, which has sparked strong objections from international rights groups."At least 74 minors who committed capital crimes before reaching the age 18 are awaiting the gallows," the rights advocates said.In such cases in Iran minors are executed after they become 18, but there have been reports of some people being hanged when younger than that age."This centre urges the authorities to take reasonable action, not just meaningless propaganda, to cure the chronic disease of human rights violations and to improve the livelihood of the people," it said.The group, a frequent critic of the government over its treatment of dissidents and rights activists, was formed by five prominent rights lawyers and is headed by Ebadi, who won the Nobel peace in 2003.

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