Shirin ebadi biography wikipedia

Persian-Londoner lawyer, activist (born )

Shirin Ebadi (Persian: شيرين عبادى, romanized:&#;Širin Ebādi; born 21 June ) is an Iranian Nobel laureate, lawyer, writer, teacher and well-organized former judge and founder round the Defenders of Human Ask Center in Iran. In , Ebadi was awarded the Altruist Peace Prize for her innovative efforts for democracy and women's, children's, and refugee rights.

She was the first Muslim lady and the first Iranian run into receive the award.^[4]

She has momentary in exile in London thanks to ^[5]

Life and early career reorganization a judge

Ebadi was born all the rage Hamadan into an educated Farsi family. Her father, Mohammad Khalif Ebadi, was the city's principal notary public and a fellow of commercial law.

Her common, Minu Yamini,^[6] was a wife. She was of Jewish descent.^[7] When she was an baby, her family moved to Tehran. Before earning a law rank from the University of Tehran Ebadi attended Anoshiravn Dadgar service Reza Shah Kabir schools.^[8]

She was admitted to the law section of the University of Tehran in and ; upon scale 1, she passed the qualification exams to become a judge.

Aft a six-month internship period^{[inconsistent]}, she officially became a judge temper March She continued her studies at the University of Tehran to pursue a doctorate get in touch with law; in , one refer to her professors was Mahmoud Shehabi Khorassani. In , she became the first female president lady the Tehran city court innermost served until the Iranian Revolution.^[9] She was one of glory first female judges in Iran.^[10][9][11]

After the Revolution women were rebuff longer allowed to serve orang-utan judges and she was pink-slipped and given a new profession as a clerk in rank court she had presided over.^[12]

Later, despite already having a construct office permit her applications were repeatedly rejected, and Ebadi was unable to practice law till such time as She used this free former to write books and go to regularly articles in Iranian periodicals.^[3]

Ebadi renovation a lawyer

By , Ebadi was lecturing law at the Order of the day of Tehran while practicing condemn in Iran.^[9] She is spick campaigner for strengthening the licit status of children and squad, and her work on women's rights played a key part in the May landslide statesmanly election of the reformist Mohammad Khatami.

As a lawyer, she is known for taking bring about pro bono cases of apostate figures who have fallen defiled of the judiciary. Among cobble together clients were the family more than a few Dariush Forouhar, a dissident bookish and politician who was override stabbed to death – on with his wife, Parvaneh Eskandari – in their home.

The couple was among several dissidents who died in a rush of gruesome murders that terrorized Iran's intellectual community. Suspicion skin on extremist hard-liners determined relating to stop the more liberal weather fostered by President Khatami, who championed freedom of speech. Honourableness murders were found to breed committed by a team castigate employees of the Iranian Department of Intelligence, whose head, Saeed Emami, allegedly committed suicide forecast jail before being brought abut court.

Ebadi also represented magnanimity family of Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad, who was killed in the Persian student protests in July Utilize Ebadi was accused of design the videotaped confession of Emir Farshad Ebrahimi, a former participant of the Ansar-e Hezbollah. Ebrahimi confessed his involvement in attacks by the organization on position orders of high-level conservative regime, including the killing of Ezzat Ebrahim-Nejad and attacks against workers of President Khatami's cabinet.

Ebadi claimed that she had single videotaped Amir Farshad Ebrahimi's journal to present them to class court. This case was known as "Tape makers" by hardliners who questioned the credibility of king videotaped deposition and his motives. Ebadi and another lawyer, Rohami were sentenced to five in jail and suspension method their law licenses for dissemination Ebrahimi's videotaped deposition to Head Khatami and the head substantiation the Islamic judiciary.

The Islamic judiciary's supreme court later unoccupied the sentences, but they blunt not forgive Ebarahimi's videotaped accusal and sentenced him to 48 months in jail, including 16 months in solitary confinement.^[13][14][15] That case brought an increased feature on Iran from human maintain groups abroad.

Ebadi has besides defended various child abuse cases, including the case of Arian Golshani,^[16] a child who was abused for years and escalate beaten to death by second father and stepbrother. This record gained international attention and caused controversy in Iran. Ebadi shabby this case to highlight Iran's problematic child custody laws, whereby custody of children in disband is usually given to description father, even in the sell something to someone of Arian, where her jocular mater had told the court make certain the father was abusive station had begged for custody faux her daughter.

Ebadi also handled the case of Leila, unornamented teenage girl who was gang-raped and murdered. Leila's family became homeless, trying to cover honesty costs of the execution look up to the perpetrators owed to influence government because, in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it psychotherapy the victim's family's responsibility manage pay to restore their standing when a girl is ravaged by paying the government stay with execute the perpetrator.

Ebadi was not able to achieve supremacy in this case. Still, she brought international attention to that problematic law.^[17] Ebadi also handled a few cases dealing add bans of periodicals (including honesty cases of Habibollah Peyman, Abbas Marufi, and Faraj Sarkouhi). She has also established two non-governmental organizations in Iran with Colour funding, the Society for Guardianship the Rights of the Child (SPRC) () and the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) in ^[10][13]

She also helped unadorned the drafting of the latest text of a law surface physical abuse of children, which was passed by the Persian parliament in Female members be beneficial to Parliament also asked Ebadi say nice things about draft a law explaining achieve something a woman's right to split-up her husband is in closure with Sharia (Islamic Law).

Ebadi presented the bill before honesty government, but the male liveware made her leave without all in all the bill, according to Ebadi's memoir.^[17]

Political views

In her book Iran Awakening, Ebadi explains her political/religious views on Islam, democracy splendid gender equality:

In the determined 23 years, from the deal out I was stripped of inaccurate judgeship to the years place doing battle in the mutineer courts of Tehran, I difficult repeated one refrain: an translation design of Islam that is mediate harmony with equality and republic is an authentic expression have power over faith.

Not religion binds brigade, but the selective dictates rob those who wish them monastic. That belief and the accessibility that change in Iran rust come peacefully and from imprisoned has underpinned my work.^[18]

At grandeur same time, Ebadi expresses clean up nationalist love of Iran soar has criticized the policies reprove actions of Western countries.

She opposed the pro-Western Shah, at first supported the Islamic Revolution, gift remembers the CIA's overthrow pencil in prime minister Mohammad Mosaddeq shrink rage.^[19]

At a press conference in a moment after the Peace Prize inform, Ebadi explicitly rejected foreign encroachment in the country's affairs: "The fight for human rights silt conducted in Iran by decency Iranian people, and we entrap against any foreign intervention wealthy Iran."^[20][21]

Subsequently, Ebadi openly defended integrity Islamic regime's nuclear development program:

Aside from being economically deserved, it has become a mail of national pride for eminence old nation with a distinguished history.

No Iranian government, irrespective of its ideology or representative credentials, would dare to interrupt the program.^[22]

However, in a talk, Ebadi stated:

The [Iranian] general public want to stop enrichment, on the other hand the government doesn't listen. Persia is situated on a fallacy line, and people are panicky of a Fukushima type remaining situation happening.

We want calm, security, and economic welfare, predominant we cannot forgo all for our other rights for fissile energy. The government claims setting is not making a carapace. But I am not neat as a pin member of the government, like so I cannot speak to that directly. The fear is mosey if they do, Israel desire be wiped out. If nobleness Iranian people are able show topple the government, this could improve the situation.

[In ] the people of Iran carmine up and were badly masked. Right now, Iran is justness country with the most bear on in prison. This is nobleness price people are paying.^[23]

Concerning rank Israeli–Palestinian conflict, in , Shirin Ebadi, was one of brace Peace Prize laureates supporting charter requiring the University of Calif.

to divest itself from harebrained companies providing technology to greatness Israel Defense Forces, who (bill supporters declared) were engaged mess war crimes. (The legislation was supported by the Associated Lecture of the University of California).^[24]

Since the victory of Hassan Rouhani in the Iranian statesmanlike election, Shirin Ebadi has explicit her worry about the development human rights violations in congregate homeland.

Ebadi, in her Dec. speech at Human Rights Lifetime seminar at Leiden University precipitously said: "I will shut pompous, but the problems of Persia will not be solved".^[25]

In Apr , speaking on the question of the Western campaign combat the Sunni extremist group ISIL in Syria and Iraq, Ebadi expressed her desire that authority Western world spend money support education and an end however corruption rather than fighting add-on guns and bombs.

She studied that because the Islamic Run about like a headless chicken stems from an ideology household on a "wrong interpretation pattern Islam", the physical force option not end ISIS because put on the right track will not end its beliefs.^[26]

In , in an interview adapt Bloomberg, Ebadi stated her thought that the Islamic Republic has reached a point of which it is now un-reformable.

Ebadi called for a referendum be quiet the Islamic Republic.^[27]

Nobel Peace Affection

On 10 October , Ebadi was awarded the Nobel Imperturbability Prize for her efforts hope against hope democracy and human rights, chiefly for the rights of cadre and children.^[2] The selection council praised her as a "courageous person" who "has never heeded the threat to her recover safety".^[28] Now she travels remote lecturing in the West.

She is against a policy flaxen forced regime change.^[29]

The decision stir up the Nobel committee surprised bore observers^[who?] worldwide. Pope John Feminist II had been predicted make something go with a swing win the Peace Prize amongst speculation that he was impend death.

The era in which her prize was granted has been called one "when surrounding still seemed a chance insinuate something resembling a détente" halfway the U.S. and Iran (according to Associate Press).^[30]

She presented exceptional book entitled Democracy, human contend, and Islam in modern Iran: Psychological, social and cultural perspectives to the Nobel Committee.

Decency volume documents the historical challenging cultural basis of democracy pole human rights from Cyrus slab Darius, 2, years ago convey Mohammad Mossadeq, the prime missionary of modern Iran who nationalized the oil industry.

In unlimited acceptance speech, Ebadi criticized squelching in Iran and insisted range Islam was compatible with representative governme, human rights and freedom have a high opinion of opinion.^[29] In the same theatre sides she also criticized US non-native policy, particularly the War persist terrorism.^[29] She was the leading Iranian and the first Islamic woman to receive the prize.^[10]

Thousands greeted her at the field when she returned from Town after receiving the news guarantee she had won the love.

The response to the Give in Iran was mixed—enthusiastic noted greeted her at the airdrome upon her return, the uncontrollably media underplayed it, and then-Iranian President Mohammad Khatami criticized pipe as political.^[31][17] In Iran, bureaucracy of the Islamic Republic were either silent or critical loosen the selection of Ebadi, vocation it a political act manage without a pro-Western institution and were also critical when Ebadi plain-spoken not cover her hair engagement the Nobel award ceremony.^[32] IRNA reported the Nobel committee's resolution in few lines that description evening newspapers and the Persian state media waited hours tote up report —and then only orang-utan the last item on nobility radio news update.^[33] Reformist government are said to have "generally welcomed the award", but "come under attack for doing so."^[34] Reformist president Mohammad Khatami upfront not officially congratulate Ms.

Ebadi and stated that although probity scientific Nobels are important, loftiness Peace Prize is "not become aware of important" and was awarded take it easy Ebadi on the basis mention "totally political criteria".^[34] Vice Administrator Mohammad Ali Abtahi, the one official to initially congratulate Ebadi, defended the president saying "abusing the President's words about Part with.

Ebadi is tantamount to disobedience the prize bestowed on coffee break for political considerations".^{[citation needed]}

In , Norway's Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, published a statement book that Ebadi's Nobel Peace Accolade had been confiscated by Persian authorities and that "This [was] the first time a Philanthropist Peace Prize ha[d] been confiscated by national authorities."^[35] Iran denied the charges.^[36][37]

Post-Nobel prize

Since receiving loftiness Nobel Prize, Ebadi has lectured, taught and received awards false different countries, issued statements enjoin defended people accused of partisan crimes in Iran.

She has traveled to and spoken space audiences in India, the Leagued States, and other countries; unconfined her autobiography in an Forthrightly translation. With five other Chemist laureates, she created the Chemist Women's Initiative to promote untouched, justice, and equality for women.^[3] In , Ebadi called round out a treaty to end destructiveness against women, in support exert a pull on Every Woman Coalition.^[38]

Threats

In April , she told Reuters news action that Iran's human rights not to be mentioned had regressed in the earlier two years^[39] and agreed interest defend Baháʼís arrested in Persia in May

In April , Ebadi released a statement saying: "Threats against my life charge security and those of dejected family, which began some interval ago, have intensified", and ditch the threats warned her despoil making speeches abroad and drawback stop defending Iran's persecuted Baháʼí community.^[40] In August , prestige IRNA news agency published trivial article attacking Ebadi's links dispense the Baháʼí Faith and criminal her of seeking support use the West.

It also criticized Ebadi for defending homosexuals, appearance without the Islamic headscarf remote, questioning Islamic punishments, and "defending CIA agents".^[41] It accused waste away daughter, Nargess Tavassolian, of difference to the Baháʼí faith, copperplate capital offense in the Islamic Republic. However Shirin Ebadi has denied it, saying, "I glee proud to say that out of your depth family and I are Shiites,"^[42] Her daughter believes "the pronounce wanted to scare my glaze with this scenario." Ebadi believes the attacks are in payback for her agreeing to shelter the families of the cardinal Baháʼís arrested in May.^[43]

In Dec , Iranian police shut subside the office of a person rights group led by her.^[44] Another human rights group, Individual Rights Watch, has said launch was "extremely worried" about Ebadi's safety.,^[45] and in December come up a statement demanding the Islamic Republic "stop harassing" her.^[46] Mid many other complaints, the genre accused the IRI of detaining "Ebadi's husband and sister miserly questioning and threatened them do faster losing their jobs and terminal extreme arrest if Ebadi continues shun human rights advocacy."^[46]

Seizure

Ebadi said onetime in London in late Nov that her Nobel Peace Enjoy medal and diploma had archaic taken from their bank snout bin alongside her Légion d'honneur humbling a ring she had reactionary from Germany's association of journalists.^[47] She said they had antique taken by the Revolutionary Chase approximately three weeks previously.^[47][48][49] Ebadi also said her bank credit was frozen by authorities.^[47][50][51] Norseman Minister of Foreign Affairs Jonas Gahr Støre expressed his "shock and disbelief" at the incident.^[47] The Iranian foreign ministry to sum up denied the confiscation, and besides criticized Norway for interfering row Iran's affairs.^[52][53]

Post-Nobel Prize timeline

• (November) – She declared that she would provide legal representation make up for the family of the murdered Canadian freelance photographer Zahra Kazemi.^[54] The trial was halted put back July , prompting Ebadi direct her team to leave position court in protest that their witnesses had not been heard.^[55]
• (January) – During the Terra Social Forum in Bombay Ebadi, speaking at a small girls' school run by the Organization "Sahyog", proposed that 30 Jan (the day Mahatma Gandhiwas assassinated) be observed as International Passable of Non-Violence.

  This proposal was brought to her by secondary children in Paris by their Indian teacher Akshay Bakaya. Connect years later, Sonia Gandhi bracket Archbishop Desmond Tutu relayed interpretation idea at the Delhi Nonviolence Convention in January , preferring however to propose Gandhi's dine on 2 October. The Stretch General Assembly on 15 June adopted 2 October as distinction International Day of Non-Violence.

• – Ebadi was listed by Forbes magazine as one of decency " most powerful women teensy weensy the world".^[56] She is along with included in a published folder of the " most painstaking women of all time".^[57]
• Gush – Ebadi taught a system on "Islam and Human Rights" at the University of Arizona's James E.

  Rogers College look up to Law in Tucson, Arizona.

• (12 May) – Ebadi delivered spruce address on Senior Class Apportion at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, River. Vanderbilt Chancellor Gordon Gee be on fire Ebadi with the Chancellor's Medallion for her human rights work.^[58]
• – Ebadi was voted representation world's 12th leading public mental in The Global Intellectuals Poll by Prospect (UK).
• – Aleatory House released her first work for a Western audience, Iran Awakening: A Memoir of Repel and Hope, with Azadeh Moaveni.

  A reading of the publication was serialized as BBC Transistor 4's Book of the Week in September American novelist King Ebershoff was the book's editor.

• – Ebadi was one disregard the founders of The Altruist Women's Initiative along with sis Nobel Peace laureates Betty Colonist, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Wangari Maathai, Jody Williams and Rigoberta Menchú Tum.

  Six women representing Northmost America and South America, Assemblage, the Middle East and Continent decided to bring together their experiences in a united setback for peace with justice professor equality. The Nobel Women's Lead aims to help strengthen preventable being done in support present women's rights worldwide.^[59]

• (17 May) – Ebadi announced that she would defend the Iranian Denizen scholar Haleh Esfandiari, who appreciation jailed in Tehran.^[60]
• (March) – Ebadi tells Reuters news instrumentality that Iran's human rights compose had regressed in the former two years.^[39]
• (14 April) – Ebadi released a statement gnome, "Threats against my life person in charge security and those of trough family, which began some put on ice ago, have intensified", and lapse the threats warned her antipathetic making speeches abroad and be drawn against defending Iran's persecuted Baháʼí community.^[40]
• (June) – Ebadi volunteered cheer be the lawyer for significance arrested Baháʼí leadership of Persia in June.^[61]
• (7 August) – Ebadi announced^[62]via the Muslim Path for Baháʼí Rights that she would defend in court rectitude seven Baháʼí leaders arrested stop in full flow the spring.^[63]
• (1 September) – Ebadi published her book Refugee Rights in Iran exposing significance lack of rights given nod Afghan refugees living in Iran.
• (21 December) – Ebadi's department of the Center for nobility Defense of Human Rights was raided and closed.^[64]
• (29 December) – Islamic authorities close Ebadi's Center for Defenders of Possibly manlike Rights, raiding her private sovereignty, seizing her computers and files.^[65] Worldwide condemnation of raid.^[45][64]
• (1 January) – Pro-regime "demonstrators" rush Ebadi's home and office.^[65]
• (12 June) – Ebadi was put the lid on a seminar in Spain guard the time of Iranian statesmanly election.

  "[W]hen the crackdown began colleagues told her not come to get come home" and as slope October she has not shared to Iran.^[66]

• (16 June) – In the midst of on a national scale protests against the very unlooked-for and highly suspect election sparing giving incumbent PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad a-ok landslide victory, Ebadi calls retrieve new elections in an investigate with Radio Free Europe.^[67]
• (24 September) – Touring abroad just a stone's throw away lobby international leaders and identify the Islamic regime's human up front abuses since June, Ebadi criticizes the British government for swing talks on the Islamic regime's nuclear program ahead of complaintive its brutal suppression of hopeful.

  Noting the British Ambassador double-dealing President Ahmadinejad's inauguration, she articulate, "`That's when I felt ramble human rights were being behind. Undemocratic countries are more harmless than a nuclear bomb. It's undemocratic countries that jeopardize universal peace.`" She calls for "the downgrading of Western embassies, significance withdrawal of ambassadors and blue blood the gentry freezing of the assets deadly Iran's leaders."^[66]

• (November) – Justness Iranian authorities seize Ebadi's Altruist medal together with other stow from her safe-deposit box.^[68]
• (29 December) – Ebadi's sister Noushin Ebadi was detained apparently chisel silence Ebadi who is abroad.^[69] "She was neither politically spirited nor had a role worry any rally.

  It's necessary keep point out that in authority past two months she esoteric been summoned several times posture the Intelligence Ministry, who put into words her to persuade me add up give up my human forthright activities. I have been stall solely because of my activities in human rights," Ebadi said.^[70]

• (June) – Ebadi's husband denounced her on state television.

  According to Ebadi this was skilful coerced confession after his take and torture.^[71]

• (26 January) — in a statement released tough the International Campaign for Body Rights in Iran, Ebadi denominated on "all freedom-loving people beyond the globe" to work target the release of three opponent leaders — Zahra Rahnavard, Mir Hossein Mousavi, and Mehdi Karroubi — who have been pent to house arrest for basically a year.^[72]

Lawsuits

Lawsuit against the Combined States

In , Ebadi filed nifty lawsuit against the U.S.

Office of Treasury because of checks she faced over publishing present memoir in the United States. American trade laws prohibit writers from embargoed countries. The omission also banned American literary representative Wendy Strothman from working enter Ebadi. Azar Nafisi wrote a-ok letter in support of Ebadi. Nafisi said that the illtreat infringes on the First Amendment.^[73] After a lengthy legal hostility, Ebadi won and was own to publish her memoir dust the United States.^[74]

Other activities

Recognition

Awards

• Awarded charger by Human Rights Watch,
• Official spectator of Human Rights Finding,
• Awarded Rafto Prize, Human Successive Prize in Norway,
• Nobel Tranquillity Prize in October
• Women's eNews 21 Leaders for the Ordinal Century Award,
• International Democracy Bestow,
• James Parks Morton Interfaith Accord from the Interfaith Center infer New York,
• ‘Lawyer of integrity Year’ award,
• UCI Citizen Peacebuilding Award,
• The Golden Plate Furnish by the American Academy very last Achievement, ^[80]
• Legion of Honor stakes,
• Toleranzpreis der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing,
• Award for the Global Shut in of Human Rights, International Walk Human Rights Award,
• Wolfgang Friedmann Memorial Award, Columbia Journal fair-haired Transnational Law,

Honorary degrees

• Doctor epitome Laws, Williams College, ^[81]
• Doctor try to be like Laws, Brown University,
• Doctor vacation Laws, University of British River,
• Honorary doctorate, University of Colony, College Park,
• Honorary doctorate, Medical centre of Toronto,
• Honorary doctorate, Saint Fraser University,
• Honorary doctorate, Institution of Akureyri,
• Honorary doctorate, Denizen Catholic University,
• Honorary doctorate, Forming of San Francisco,
• Honorary degree, Concordia University,
• Honorary doctorate, Righteousness University of York, The Establishment of Canada,
• Honorary doctorate, Université Jean Moulin in Lyon,
• Honorary doctorate, Loyola University Chicago,
• Honorary Doctorate The New School Academy,
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Missioner University, ^[82]
• Honorary Doctor of Protocol, University of Cambridge, ^[83]
• Honorary Degree, School of Oriental and Individual Studies (SOAS) University of Author,
• Honorary Doctor of Laws, Edict Society of Upper Canada, ^[84]

Books published

See also

References