An
evening with 2003 Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Shirin
Ebadi
May
2, 2006
Submitted by
Denise
Scotto, Esq.
International Federation of Women Lawyers, UN Representative
Vice-Chair, NGO Committee on the
Status of Women, NY
Thousands of people crowded the airport and waited along the highway to
welcome home Dr. Shirin Ebadi when she returned to
At first glance, Dr. Ebadi says, she appears to be a contradiction. She is a traditional woman living in
Dr. Ebadi is a reflection of
At the same time, 65% of students in Iranian university are girls,
resulting in women being more educated than men. There are 13 women members of Parliament
with women serving in Parliament for over 40 years when women acquired the right
to vote—earlier than many of the developed countries. Iranian women are able to drive unlike
Dr. Ebadi believes that the judiciary is one of the most coercive arms of
the Islamic machinery. The
interpretation of Sharia or Islamic law in most cases is erroneous and is based
on a political agenda which has paved the way for human rights abuses
particularly against women and those that disagree with Sharia’s
‘misinterpretation.’ She
recalled case after case where she appeared in court representing those whose
human rights have been violated—a deceased student who demonstrated the closing
of a newspaper, the parents of a deceased journalist who died while she was
tortured and in custody, two brothers who were imprisoned because the
participated in a student protest.
Her attempts to secure and present evidence in court were summarily
denied. Her attempts to provide
clients with a fair trial were frustrated.
Her attempts to search for the truth and for justice to prevail were
fruitless.
Elections in
who would like to be candidates are
deemed ‘not eligible’ by the GC therefore the national political machinery does
not support legitimate elections.
Describing her deep belief in the rule of law and the democratic process,
Dr. Ebadi, believes that societal reform in
where people have the power to
supervise the government. She
acknowledges that
and vibrant. Iranians are not satisfied with their
situation and they are also sick and tired of the violence and bloodshed during
these past 27 years. She feels that
the Iranian people are not ready for a revolution, rather, they are willing to
endure the length of time it will take for the process of reform to take hold.
She cautioned, however, that should the
In turning to the present state of world affairs and discussing the
pressing question of nuclear weapons, Dr. Ebadi said that
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