Nobel
laureate Shirin Ebadi
in danger of arrest
By
Farhang
Jahanpour, TFF Associate
Lund, Sweden - August 16,
2006
On Thursday, 3rd August, the
Iranian interior ministry announced that the Centre for
Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), co-founded by the 2003
Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi, was an illegal
organization. "Any activity by this centre is illegal,
and violators of this decision will be prosecuted," an
interior ministry statement said, claiming the CDHR "had
not obtained the proper permit".
This is yet another serious
violation of human rights by the present Iranian
government. At a time, that the Iranian government is
under so much international pressure, it is extremely
unwise for it to alienate the Iranian population further
and to isolate itself from liberal sentiments throughout
the world.
After having written an article on
the unfair treatment of women in Iran (Iran
Awakening?), I received an
email message from a supporter of the Iranian regime,
arguing that at a time when Iran is under serious threat
of attack and invasion it is untimely to raise issues
about human rights and freedom in Iran. Indeed, the
reverse is the case. It is under these dire circumstances
that the Iranian government needs to realise that by
violating human rights it provides more excuses to its
opponents.
Furthermore, the issue of human
rights has to be supported for its own intrinsic values
and should not be confused with political controversies.
Otherwise, no time would be a good time for standing up
for freedom and human rights. Iran's case would be
strengthened internationally by adhering to human rights
principles, and it would be greatly weakened if it loses
the much-needed support of the people of goodwill
throughout the world. The only thing that can make Iran
more immune to foreign threats would be the establishment
of a stronger democracy at home and adherence to
internationally recognised standards of human rights.
The persecution of an
internationally respected Nobel Prize laureate and human
rights lawyer is a clear example of the Iranian regime
shooting itself in the foot. CDHR was co-founded four
years ago by Ebadi in Teheran. CDHR applied for a permit
when it was founded in 2002, but never received a reply
from authorities, despite numerous follow-up attempts.
According to the Iranian Constitution, a permit is not
required for the setting up a human rights organization
so long as it does not contradict any laws, but the
Ministry of the Interior has imposed the practice of
obtaining one.
On July 16, 2006, the Revolutionary
Court of Tehran sentenced Abdulfatah Soltani, a
co-founder of CDHR and a human rights lawyer who defended
the students that had been attacked by a group of hired
thugs in their dormitories at the University of Tehran,
to five years in prison. The government accused him of
disclosing charges brought against some of his clients to
international diplomats. Soltani has appealed the court's
ruling and is awaiting the appeals court's decision. Now,
it seems that the authorities have decided to silence
Shirin Ebadi. In an appeal for help issued on 8th August
2006, Shirin Ebadi wrote:
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
center 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 center 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 center is a member of the
International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and
has been registered there. It has also been awarded a
human rights prize by the Human Rights National
Commission in France. This center is very well known
and credible in Iran.
Two days ago the government of
Iran announced that this center is illegal and
provided we continue our activities, they shall arrest
us. Of course me and the other members of the center
do not intend to shut down the center 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. This center has been
established and working for more than four years now.
I believe this decision of the government has been
triggered by my memoirs being published.
In any case, I am happy that my
Memoirs has been published, for the truth must be
told.
Many thanks,
Shirin Ebadi
"The attempt to silence Shirin
Ebadi's Center is a huge setback for protecting human
rights in Iran," said Sarah Leah Whitson, director of the
Middle East and North Africa division at Human Rights
Watch. "If Ebadi is threatened for defending human
rights, then no one who works for human rights can feel
safe from government prosecution."
For the sake of many oppressed
people in Iran whose voices would not be heard were it
not for organisations such DHRC, it is essential that
this centre remains open. For this reason, the Iranian
government should remain in no doubt that the illegal
closure of this organization would further alienate world
opinion and would provide ammunition to those who wish to
do it harm.
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