• by Shirin Ebadi*
• Tuesday, March 08, 2011
• Inter Press Service

Not so long ago, my colleague Nasrin Sotoudeh was the lawyer that so many of us human rights defenders in Iran called when our own government harassed us or put one of us, or a family member, in jail. Sadly, it is now Nasrin who is in jail, one of many in Iran targeted -and punished- for speaking up for the rights of others, writes Shirin Ebadi, 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and co-founder of the Nobel Women's Initiative, a global women's rights organisation that also includes five of her sister Nobel Peace Laureates.

As we know from the case of Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani -an Iranian woman sentenced to be stoned to death for allegedly committing adultery- women are all too frequently on the receiving end of the Iranian regime's wrath. But what makes Nasrin's case especially poignant is that it raises a fundamental question about Iran's future.

If the Iranian regime is failing to protect the human rights of its own citizens, who can take on this fight? And if the people who come to the defense of those whose human rights are being flagrantly violated are forbidden from doing their jobs, who will ultimately ensure that such values as equality and justice are upheld in Iran?

This is why some countries are currently pushing for a United Nations Human Rights Council resolution that would create a mandate on Iran, with an independent Special Rapporteur to carry out an investigation into the many human rights abuses there. Such a push is encouraging, but it will still take a few more countries to reach a majority within the Council. If Iran jails those who are defending human rights, we need to step up efforts to ensure that justice and equality are upheld there. On this International Women's Day, such a concrete international action to let the people of Iran know the world cares about their human rights would be the best way to honour Nasrin. We must not let her voice be silenced.

(*) Shirin Ebadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. She is the co-founder of the Nobel Women's Initiative, a global women's rights organisation that also includes five of her sister Nobel Peace Laureates.

© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights Reserved. Original source: Inter Press Service

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