Shirin Ebadi is a lawyer, human rights activist, and the first Muslim woman and Iranian to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In 1975 she became the first woman to preside over a legislative court in Iran. Ebadi was a judge until the Iranian Revolution in 1979, when women were prohibited from serving as judges. She is known for taking the cases of political activists, abused children, and persecuted journalists. Ebadi established two NGOs in Iran—the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child (SPRC) and the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC). Ebadi has lived in exile since 2009, due to the increase in persecution of Iranian citizens critical of the current government.

About

Shirin Ebadi is a human rights lawyer and author. The first female judge in Iranian history, Ebadi was removed from her post after the 1979 Revolution, when women were deemed unfit to serve as judges. She is known for taking the cases of persecuted dissidents, for defending children’s and women’s rights, and for speaking out against human rights violations of the current government. Ebadi was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. She was the first Muslim woman and Iranian to receive the award.

Ebadi’s memoir, Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country, chronicles her life growing up in Iran and the effect that the 1979 Revolution had on her family and country. In Iran Awakening, Ebadi also writes about the court case for which she is best-known—defending the Kazemi family in the case of Canadian photojournalist, Zara Kazemi, who was raped, tortured, and murdered by Iranian officials following her arrest. Ebadi has also published a book on the rights of refugees, examining topics such as their right to education, property, and inheritance. Refugee Rights in Iran, published in 2008, references both Iranian and international refugee law when treating controversial topics regarding the rights and protections to which this special group is entitled.

In addition to her efforts as a lawyer and author, Ebadi founded two rights organizations in Iran: the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child (SPRC) and the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC). SPRC was established in 1994 to promote the principles set forth in the International Convention on the Rights of the Child. DHRC, founded in 2001, provides pro-bono defense to individuals accused of political crimes or prisoners of conscience. DHRC also publishes reports on the status of human rights in Iran and conducts advocacy projects to educate Iranians on human rights.