Monday

11th Dec 2023

Iranian prize winners put their necks on the line

  • Pictures of Sotuodeh and Panahi being put up in the EU parliament (Photo: europarl.europa.eu)

The winners of this year's EU Sakharov prize for free speech have risked their safety by speaking out to MEPs on Wednesday (12 December).

The statements - by imprisoned Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, and by Iranian film maker Jafar Panahi, who is under a six-year suspended sentence - were read out on their behalf in Strasbourg because Iran declined to let them collect the award in person.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Sotoudeh's letter, read by exiled Iranian lawyer and Nobel laureate, Shirin Ebadi, said that human rights are the reason behind all the Arab Spring revolutions, which began with a failed uprising in Iran in 2009.

She noted: "I'd like to send my warmest and sincerest greetings from Evin prison [in Tehran] ... This [Sakharov] decision is a great source of pride for me and encourages me to keep up my struggle with patience and calm."

She added: "The fight to protect human rights as a lawyer is a compelling one even if it leads to imprisonment."

Panahi's letter, read out by Greek film director Costa-Gavras, said: "The authorities of my country are becoming so intolerant that they cannot even stand independent journalists or film makers."

He noted that his sentence gave him a choice: "To run [from Iran] or to live with this sword of Damocles above my head."

But he added: "I chose to stay" because "I love my country dearly ... even though I can no longer take up my camera."

The statements in themselves constitute a risk for Sotoudeh and Panahi and for their families.

Sotoudeh noted that she recently went on hunger strike because of "judicial pressure" on her closest relatives designed to keep her quiet.

Panahi pointed out that an Iranian blogger - 35-year-old Sattar Beheshti - last month died in police custody for speaking out against the regime on a webpage which, according to the Sakharov winner, had just eight readers.

For his part, parliament President Martin Schulz paid tribute to "a man and a woman who are standing up for a better Iran."

He added that the prize "says to the regime: 'You are being watched'."

Dutch Liberal deputy Marietje Schaake, who nominated Sotuodeh and Panahi, said: "These winners are true symbols of the courage of the Iranian people."

Tarja Cronenberg, a Finnish green deputy who chairs the parliament's Iran delegation, noted: "The European Parliament should build a strong, frank, and open dialogue with Iran and its people."

The prize was handed over to two empty chairs.

Latest News

  1. How Moldova is trying to control tuberculosis
  2. Many problems to solve in Dubai — honesty about them is good
  3. Sudanese fleeing violence find no haven in Egypt or EU
  4. How should EU reform the humanitarian aid system?
  5. EU suggests visa-bans on Israeli settlers, following US example
  6. EU ministers prepare for all-night fiscal debate
  7. Spain's Nadia Calviño backed to be EIB's first female chief
  8. Is there hope for the EU and eurozone?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us