An Iranian American university student in Iran to visit family and research women’s rights there has been arrested and “is at risk of torture or other ill treatment" in Tehran’s most notorious prison.

Esha Momeni, a student and women’s rights defender, was arrested by Iranian security officials on October 15. She is being held in Section 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence. She has not been charged with any offense so far, Amnesty International said in a statement.

Momeni, a student at California State University, Northridge, was driving on a highway in Tehran when she was stopped by authorities who said they were traffic police on October 15. They told her they were arresting her on suspicion of committing a traffic offense, then searched her family’s house, confiscating her computer and footage of interviews on the Iranian women’s movement she has conducted.

Momeni, who is a member of the California branch of Change for Equality — an Iranian women’s rights group — was later taken to Evin prison, the Tehran facility notorious for holding political prisoners, Amnesty said. Her family members haven’t been allowed to visit, and police told her relatives that if they didn’t publicize her arrest, she would be released quickly. But on Monday, her family visited a branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran to get more information, and were told that the case was still under investigation. So her family went public.

Momeni also works for The Campaign for Equality, an Iranian women’s rights initiative committed to ending discrimination against women in Iranian law. Dozens of activists and supporters affiliated with the group have also been arrested. Amnesty says that as of this month, the campaign’s official website had been blocked by authorities at least 16 times.

Jolene Koester, the president of California State University, issued a statement about Momeni’s arrest, confirming the student’s research and saying she is “deeply concerned.”

“She is a student invested in learning and understanding current conditions in the country of her family’s origin,” Koester wrote. “Anyone who values knowledge and the role of academic inquiry in shedding light on the human condition should be concerned. We are in support of the efforts of the U.S. government in their efforts to secure Ms. Momeni’s immediate release.”

Koester said lawmakers like California Sens. Diane Feinstein, Barbara Boxer and Rep. Brad Sherman are being called on to help, as well as the Department of State and Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations Mohammad Khazaee.

The State Department said it was aware of reports of Momeni’s arrest and was seeking more information.

"We stand with all those in Iran who are working for universal human rights and justice in their countries," deputy spokesman Robert Wood told reporters Wednesday, AP reports.

Amnesty International is urging people to send appeals to Iranian officials urging them to release Momeni.

You can visit the "Free Esha" blog for more information, and you can sign a petition calling for Momeni’s release there as well.