Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian girl who died in police custody in Iran final yr, sparking worldwide protests towards the nation’s conservative Islamic theocracy, was awarded the European Union’s high human rights prize on Thursday.
The EU award, named for Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honour people or teams who defend human rights and elementary freedoms. Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died in 1989.
Different finalists this yr included Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez — two emblematic figures within the combat for the defence of human rights in Nicaragua — and a trio of ladies from Poland, El Salvador and america main a combat for “free, protected and authorized abortion.”
The award ceremony will happen on Dec. 13.
Worldwide motion
Amini died on Sept. 16, 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s necessary scarf legislation. European Parliament President Roberta Metsola stated that day will “reside in infamy,” including that her “brutal homicide marked a turning level.”
“It has triggered a women-led motion that’s making historical past,” she stated as she introduced the awarding of the prize to Amini and the Lady, Life, Freedom motion in Iran. “The world has heard the chants of ‘Girls, Life, Liberty.’ Three phrases which have turn into a rallying cry for all these standing up for equality, for dignity and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola stated.
Amini died three days after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police. Whereas authorities stated she suffered a coronary heart assault, Amini’s supporters stated she was overwhelmed by police and died because of her accidents.
Her loss of life triggered protests that unfold throughout the nation and quickly escalated into requires the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. Authorities responded with a violent crackdown through which greater than 500 individuals had been killed and over 22,000 others had been detained, in response to rights teams.
The demonstrations largely died down early this yr, however there are nonetheless widespread indicators of discontent. For a number of months, girls may very well be seen brazenly flaunting the scarf rule in Tehran and different cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer season.
The current hospitalization of Iranian teen Armita Geravand, in an obvious confrontation with the morality police, has reignited anger. Human rights teams overseas have alleged Geravand could have been pushed or attacked as a result of she was not carrying the hijab, they usually’ve demanded an impartial investigation by the United Nations’ fact-finding mission on Iran.
Tehran has stated Geravand lapsed right into a coma on account of a medical situation.
The Amini honour follows the announcement earlier this month that Narges Mohammadi, an imprisoned Iranian girl and activist, could be awarded this yr’s Nobel Peace Prize.
Final yr’s Sakharov prize was awarded to the individuals of Ukraine and their representatives for his or her resistance to Russia’s invasion and defiance through the ongoing warfare.