Nobel Women's Initiative

Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi has submitted a report on the human rights situation in Iran to the United Nations Special Rapporteur, Ahmed Shaheed.

The appointment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights has been criticized by the Iranian authorities who refused Shaheed entry into the country to investigate possible violations perpetrated by the state. Due to the lack of access, the report submitted by Ebadi is to assist in painting a clearer picture of the current human rights situation within Iran.

Read the report in English.

The United Nations special rapporteur appointed to investigate human rights violations in Iran has been refused entry into the country.

Amid growing concern over an increase in abuse perpetrated by the state, such as arbitraty arrests and torture of prisoners, the UN ordered Ahmad Shaheed, the former Maldivian foreign affairs minister, to investigate.

Iranian Intelligence Officials continue to hold women’s rights defender Maryam Bahrman in prison under interrogation – despite an order for her release from other government officials. Bahrman was arrested on 11 May 2011 for charges relating to her women’s rights activities – including her membership in the “One Million Signatures Campaign” calling for legal equality in Iran.

PBS NewsHour and the Center for Investigative Reporting have co-produced a piece detailing some Iranian women's horrific experiences as prisoners. Since 2009, when the Green Movement saw thousands of Iranians take to the streets to protest a disputed presidential election, women have been tortured, imprisoned and raped as part of the government crackdown that followed.

Watch the video here.

On April 26, Shirin Ebadi accepted the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award on behalf of Nasrin Sotoudeh, lawyer currently imprisoned in Iran.

“As a writer, as an activist, and as a lawyer she [Sotoudeh] has dedicated herself to a simple and powerful idea: the principle that the rights guaranteed by law are absolute and shared equally by all," Kwame Anthony Appiah, president of PEN American Center said.

Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Laureate, sent a letter to the UN this week regarding recent violent attacks against Iranian Sunni protestors in the province of Khuzestn.

The Iranian government suppressed peaceful demonstrations by killing more than 12 people, as well as injuring and apprehending many. Ebadi warns of further conflicts in the region.

Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and nine other human rights and labour rights organizations expressed concern last week towards Iran's parliamentary proceedings over a bill that would destroy independent civil society in the country. The Bill on the Establishment and Supervision of the NGO sector would restrict the freedom of organization, including Article 12, which prohibits membership to international organizations without permission.

The bill would crack down on NGOs who engage in human rights work or those critical of the regime. Under international human rights law, Iran is obligated to abide by regulations, which stipulate freedom of assembly and association. This bill will undermine these principles and threaten the strength of civil society.

Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi shares her thoughts about the wave of protests in the Arab world in an interview with online journal, openDemocracy. 

Ebadi focuses on the representation of women in these societies and believes that "Iran was a lesson for the women in the entire region." Governments in the Middle East have subjectively defined Islam, leading to dilemmas in this region; "either you are Muslim and accept our laws or you are not Muslim."

The UN Human Rights Council agreed on a proposal to send a special rapporteur to Iran to monitor Iran's compliance with international rights agreements and report regularly to the council. The 47-member Geneva forum approved the resolution by 22 votes in favor, 7 against and 14 abstentions.

“This is a strong message of support to the Iranian people from the international community that they are not forgotten, and gross violations of their rights will not be tolerated,” said Shirin Ebadi, Iranian Nobel Peace Laureate.