Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, is appealing for support in the wake of threats from the Iranian government to close down the Kanoon Modafean Hogooge Bashar or the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), a facility she co-founded with the most prominent lawyers in Iran in 2002.
I kindly request that you broadcast this message by all means and gather spiritual support for our center, she appealed in a message broadcast over the internet on 18 August. According to Human Rights Watch, (HRW), on August 3, a statement from Irans Ministry of Interior (MI) claimed that DHRC was an illegal organisation since it had not obtained the proper permit.
The MI announcement stated, Since some individuals, under the guise of Kanoon Modafean Hogooge Bashar, have been initiating various activities that include the publication of statements and resolutions, press session, seminars and gatherings, petitions to authorities, institutions and various agencies inside and outside Iran, it is hereby announced that the charter and by-laws of this group have not been approved by committee of Article 10 of the Law on Party and Organisation Activities. Therefore, any activity under the name of Kanoon e-Modafean Hogooge Bashar is illegal and violators will be prosecuted accordingly.
Several international human rights organizations have condemned the Iranian governments move.
Human Rights First (HRF), a non-profit, nonpartisan international human rights organisation based in New York and Washington D.C. called the announcement an attempt to silence the Centres criticisms of the states arbitrary detentions and murders, stressing that closing the Centre will have serious repercussions for all human rights defenders in Iran.
The attempt to silence Shirin Ebadis centre is a huge setback for protecting human rights in Iran, said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the Middle East and North Africa division at HRW. If Ebadi is threatened for defending human rights, then no one who works for human rights can feel safe from government prosecution.
The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organization Against Torture, is calling upon Iranian authorities to guarantee in all circumstances the physical and psychological integrity of all DHRC members and urged them to recognise the role of human rights defenders in the construction of the rule of law and democracy.
HRW has called on the Iranian government to allow human rights defenders to carry out peaceful activities without harassment and fear of prosecution.
A government, like Irans, which professes to respect human rights, should welcome independent monitoring organisations like the DHRC, rather than seek to muzzle them, Whitson said.
The first female judge in Iran, Ebadi served as president of the Tehran city court from 1975 to 1979. She was forced to resign when it was decided that women were not suitable for such posts, reported BBC News in 2003.
Ebadi is credited as the driving force behind the reform of family laws in Iran by seeking changes in divorce and inheritance legislation, her campaigns often bringing her in conflict with conservative clerics.
The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize committee described her as, As a lawyer, judge, lecturer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond.
MESSAGE FROM SHIRIN EBADI
(Aired over the Internet on 19 August 2006)
There is a very important matter I would like to discuss with you. I conduct my human rights activities through the Defender of Human Rights Center (DHRC). I am the president of this centre and we have three
important responsibilities:
a. We report the violations of human rights that take place in Iran.
b. We defend political prisoners pro bono--about 70% of the political prisoners in Iran are clients of our centre and we do not charge them for our services.
c. We support the families of these prisoners both financially-- if they require financial aid--and spiritually.
This centre is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights and has been registered there. It has also been awarded a human rights prize by the Human Rights National Commission in France. This centre is very well known and credible in Iran. Two days ago the government of Iran announced that this centre is illegal and provided we continue our activities, they shall arrest us. Of course I and the other members of the
centre do not intend to shut down the centre and we shall continue our activities. However, there is a high possibility that that they will arrest us. The government's action in this regard is illegal.
Therefore, I kindly request that you broadcast this message by all means and gather spiritual support for our center.
Source:
Threats to Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and her center email circulated on the International Feminist Meeting (IFM) [This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.] mailing list, August 22, 2006
Sources:
BBC NEWS (November 10, 2003). Profile: Shirin Ebadi. Retrieved, August 25, 2006 <http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/3181992.stm>.
Human Rights First (August 16, 2006). Whats At Stake? Nobel Winner's Human Rights Center Banned by Iranian Government. Retrieved, August 25, 2006 <http://action.humanrightsfirst.org/campaign/Ebadi?qp_source=ga%5fadv> .
Human Rights Watch (August 9, 2006). Iran: Government Outlaws Nobel Laureates Rights Group. Retrieved, August 25, 2006 <http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/08/08/iran13928.htm>
Networking Human Rights Defenders (8/08/2006). The Defenders of Human Rights Centre declared illegal: Threats of prosecution against its members. Retrieved August 25, 2006 <http://www.fidh.org/article.php3?id_article=3530>.
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