NEW DELHI: Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian girl who died in police custody in Iran final yr, has been posthumously awarded the European Union‘s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The award was began in 1988 to acknowledge people or teams who defend human rights and basic freedoms.
Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s obligatory headband legislation. Her dying triggered worldwide protests towards the nation’s conservative Islamic theocracy. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, referred to that day as one which “will dwell in infamy,” emphasizing that Amini’s “brutal homicide” marked a turning level.
“The world has heard the chants of ‘Girls, Life, Liberty.’ Three phrases which have change into a rallying cry for all these standing up for equality, for dignity, and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola added.
Mahsa Amini died simply three days after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. Whereas authorities claimed she had suffered a coronary heart assault, her supporters alleged that she was crushed by the police and died on account of her accidents.
Her dying led to protests that unfold throughout Iran and quickly developed into requires the overthrow of the nation’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. In response, authorities initiated a violent crackdown, ensuing within the deaths of greater than 500 folks and the detention of over 22,000 others, in keeping with rights teams. Though the demonstrations subsided earlier this yr, indicators of discontent persist. For a number of months, girls overtly challenged the headband rule in Tehran and different cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer time.
The award ceremony is scheduled to happen on December 13.
Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, key figures within the combat for human rights in Nicaragua, had been among the many different finalists. Moreover, a trio of ladies from Poland, El Salvador, and america, who’re main the battle for “free, protected, and authorized abortion,” additionally made the shortlist.
(With inputs from the Related Press)
The award was began in 1988 to acknowledge people or teams who defend human rights and basic freedoms.
Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s obligatory headband legislation. Her dying triggered worldwide protests towards the nation’s conservative Islamic theocracy. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, referred to that day as one which “will dwell in infamy,” emphasizing that Amini’s “brutal homicide” marked a turning level.
“The world has heard the chants of ‘Girls, Life, Liberty.’ Three phrases which have change into a rallying cry for all these standing up for equality, for dignity, and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola added.
Mahsa Amini died simply three days after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. Whereas authorities claimed she had suffered a coronary heart assault, her supporters alleged that she was crushed by the police and died on account of her accidents.
Her dying led to protests that unfold throughout Iran and quickly developed into requires the overthrow of the nation’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. In response, authorities initiated a violent crackdown, ensuing within the deaths of greater than 500 folks and the detention of over 22,000 others, in keeping with rights teams. Though the demonstrations subsided earlier this yr, indicators of discontent persist. For a number of months, girls overtly challenged the headband rule in Tehran and different cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer time.
The award ceremony is scheduled to happen on December 13.
Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, key figures within the combat for human rights in Nicaragua, had been among the many different finalists. Moreover, a trio of ladies from Poland, El Salvador, and america, who’re main the battle for “free, protected, and authorized abortion,” additionally made the shortlist.
(With inputs from the Related Press)
