Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian political activist, a lawyer, a former judge, a writer and human rights activist. Ebadi is also a founder of Defenders of Human Rights Centre in Iran. For her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially of women and children, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. The selection committee praised her efforts as a courageous person who has never regarded the threat to her own safety.
Ebadi was the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian to receive the award. As a writer, Ebadi wrote a number of books on the subject of human rights. In her book Iran Awakening, she reflected her own struggles and experiences regarding her activist’s journey. She founded and became the head of the Association for Support of Children’s Rights in Iran. As a lawyer, Ebadi is known for taking up pro bono (unpaid) cases of dissenter figures that have fallen foul of the judiciary. She has also defended various child abuse cases, including the case of Arian Golshani. This case gained international attention and also caused controversy in Iran.
Her accomplishments did not stop there. She also led several research projects for the UNICEF office in Tehran. In 2001 she was awarded Rafto Prize, Human Rights Prize in Norway. In 2004 she was awarded “21 Leaders for the 21st Century Award by Women’s eNews. She moreover won International Democracy Award in 2004 along with the Lawyer of the Year Award. In 2005 Ebadi won The Golden Plate Award by the Academy of Achievements.
