Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Iran

Shirin Ebadi, an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. Both in her research and as an activist, she is known for promoting peaceful, democratic solutions to serious problems in society. She takes an active part in the public debate and is well-known and admired by the general public in her country for her defense in court of victims of the conservative faction's attack on freedom of speech and political freedom. Ms. Ebadi represents Reformed Islam, and argues for a new interpretation of Islamic law which is in harmony with vital human rights such as democracy, equality before the law, religious freedom and freedom of speech.

Ms. Ebadi received a law degree from the University of Tehran. In the years 1975-79 she served as president of the city court of Tehran, one the first female judges in Iran. After the revolution in 1979 she was forced to resign. She now works as a lawyer and also teaches at the University of Tehran. Ebadi is an activist for refugee rights, as well as those of women and children. She is the founder and leader of the Association for Support of Children's Rights in Iran. She has written a number of academic books and articles focused on human rights. Among her books translated into English are The Rights of the Child. A Study of Legal Aspects of Children's Rights in Iran (Tehran, 1994) published with support from UNICEF, and History and Documentation of Human Rights in Iran (New York, 2000).