[ad_1]
NEW DELHI: Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, has been posthumously awarded the European Union’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
The award was started in 1988 to recognize individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Her death triggered worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, referred to that day as one that “will live in infamy,” emphasizing that Amini’s “brutal murder” marked a turning point.
“The world has heard the chants of ‘Women, Life, Liberty.’ Three words that have become a rallying cry for all those standing up for equality, for dignity, and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola added.
Mahsa Amini died just three days after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. While authorities claimed she had suffered a heart attack, her supporters alleged that she was beaten by the police and died as a result of her injuries.
Her death led to protests that spread across Iran and rapidly evolved into calls for the overthrow of the country’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. In response, authorities initiated a violent crackdown, resulting in the deaths of more than 500 people and the detention of over 22,000 others, according to rights groups. Although the demonstrations subsided earlier this year, signs of discontent persist. For several months, women openly challenged the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 13.
Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, key figures in the fight for human rights in Nicaragua, were among the other finalists. Additionally, a trio of women from Poland, El Salvador, and the United States, who are leading the battle for “free, safe, and legal abortion,” also made the shortlist.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
The award was started in 1988 to recognize individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, following her arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law. Her death triggered worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy. The President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, referred to that day as one that “will live in infamy,” emphasizing that Amini’s “brutal murder” marked a turning point.
“The world has heard the chants of ‘Women, Life, Liberty.’ Three words that have become a rallying cry for all those standing up for equality, for dignity, and for freedom in Iran,” Metsola added.
Mahsa Amini died just three days after her arrest by Iran’s morality police. While authorities claimed she had suffered a heart attack, her supporters alleged that she was beaten by the police and died as a result of her injuries.
Her death led to protests that spread across Iran and rapidly evolved into calls for the overthrow of the country’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy. In response, authorities initiated a violent crackdown, resulting in the deaths of more than 500 people and the detention of over 22,000 others, according to rights groups. Although the demonstrations subsided earlier this year, signs of discontent persist. For several months, women openly challenged the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.
The award ceremony is scheduled to take place on December 13.
Vilma Núñez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez, key figures in the fight for human rights in Nicaragua, were among the other finalists. Additionally, a trio of women from Poland, El Salvador, and the United States, who are leading the battle for “free, safe, and legal abortion,” also made the shortlist.
(With inputs from the Associated Press)
#Irans #Mahsa #Amini #Awarded #EUs #Top #Human #Rights #Prize
