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Iranian Lawyer Shirin Ebadi Wins Nobel Peace Prize
Aired October 10, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You heard it live right here on CNN less than an hour ago. Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi is this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is a democracy activist known especially for her work promoting the rights of women and children. She was one of the first female judges in Iran.
Now, after the revolution in 1979, she was forced to resign and now works as a lawyer and also teaches at the University of Tehran.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee leader praised Ebadi's work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLE DANBOLT MJOES, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: What we want is that the people -- that the people of Iran should feel joy that a member of their society, which has strongly been in the grassroots among the people, get a prize and has won it in her fight for democracy and human values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Shirin Ebadi's Nobel Peace Prize is worth $1.3 million.
All right, let's get reaction now from a man who knows about Ebadi's work. Joining me on the phone from Tehran is journalist Shirzad Bozorghmehr.
Shirzad, I just got a chance to speak with Ms. Ebadi on the telephone, and as you predicted, she was very modest in her acceptance of the Peace Prize, and she said she was absolutely shocked when she got the telephone call.
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST: Well, I would assume that she would be, because we were not even aware that she was on the list. The only Iranian that was on the list that was reported was Mr. Hashimila al-Jari (ph), who is a university lecturer. And I personally did not know of her nomination.
LIN: Why do you think the committee chose her?
BOZORGMEHR: Well, mostly because of her work, obviously. She has been promoting women's right. She has been fighting very hard to increase the marriage for girls from 9 years old, and she's been defending political activists and reformists. And she has been getting a lot of pressure from the conservative camp in Iran, and, you know, it's something that is not really done in Iran, especially by a woman. So, her courage is more than unusual in being a woman and also championing the cause of women and political reforms. Both of those causes are very hazardous in Iran due to the belief of the conservative establishment, which is very powerful. And they insist in implementing Sharia (ph) laws, which some Iranians believe do not give the full rights to women, and also prevent political activists to continue their work safely and without fear.
So, she is very popular amongst the reformists here and amongst the people as a whole, particularly amongst women. Her courage has been admired for a long time in Iran. Her work is not new. She has been -- she was a judge during the previous regime, before the revolution. So, even then, she was an exemplary woman in Iranian society.
LIN: Shirzad, thank you very much. Stay right there.
We also want to bring into this discussion Stein Toennesson. He is the director of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo.
Mr. Toennesson, I'm wondering, why do you think the committee chose her?
STEIN TOENNESSON, INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: I think it's mainly because of her very substantial human rights work, and also her work for children rights, which is important. But I'm also quite convinced that the committee has been trying to look for a good female candidate, the good Muslim candidate, and they have been particularly interested in the Iranian reform movement, because Iran today has a chance of reforming its orthodox system in a non-Western way. It has its own very strong internal forces that have been struggling for reform, particularly since the presidential elections in 1997.
LIN: So, what accomplishments do you think she's been able to make for women and children? What kind of a difference has she made for them in her country?
TOENNESSON: I think she contributed strongly to the female mobilization for the reform movement in connection with the presidential elections in 1997. And then, she has also done an important work in writing books and in mobilization for children's rights, female rights, and also for reform based on the Muslim faith in a country based on the Muslim faith.
LIN: Well, what rights do women and children have in Iran?
TOENNESSON: They have often a very difficult situation, but it's not that impossible -- the same impossibility that you have in some other countries, much better like, for instance, Afghanistan during the Taliban and much better than you have in Saudi Arabia. The women have been active and have been able to organize in Iran, and have been mobilization together with the youth.
So, there is both repression and opportunity and possibility of reforming Iran. That's the interesting combination. LIN: All right, thank you very much, Stein Toennesson, with the Oslo Peace Institute for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired October 10, 2003 - 06:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: You heard it live right here on CNN less than an hour ago. Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi is this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner. She is a democracy activist known especially for her work promoting the rights of women and children. She was one of the first female judges in Iran.
Now, after the revolution in 1979, she was forced to resign and now works as a lawyer and also teaches at the University of Tehran.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee leader praised Ebadi's work.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
OLE DANBOLT MJOES, NORWEGIAN NOBEL COMMITTEE: What we want is that the people -- that the people of Iran should feel joy that a member of their society, which has strongly been in the grassroots among the people, get a prize and has won it in her fight for democracy and human values.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LIN: Shirin Ebadi's Nobel Peace Prize is worth $1.3 million.
All right, let's get reaction now from a man who knows about Ebadi's work. Joining me on the phone from Tehran is journalist Shirzad Bozorghmehr.
Shirzad, I just got a chance to speak with Ms. Ebadi on the telephone, and as you predicted, she was very modest in her acceptance of the Peace Prize, and she said she was absolutely shocked when she got the telephone call.
SHIRZAD BOZORGMEHR, JOURNALIST: Well, I would assume that she would be, because we were not even aware that she was on the list. The only Iranian that was on the list that was reported was Mr. Hashimila al-Jari (ph), who is a university lecturer. And I personally did not know of her nomination.
LIN: Why do you think the committee chose her?
BOZORGMEHR: Well, mostly because of her work, obviously. She has been promoting women's right. She has been fighting very hard to increase the marriage for girls from 9 years old, and she's been defending political activists and reformists. And she has been getting a lot of pressure from the conservative camp in Iran, and, you know, it's something that is not really done in Iran, especially by a woman. So, her courage is more than unusual in being a woman and also championing the cause of women and political reforms. Both of those causes are very hazardous in Iran due to the belief of the conservative establishment, which is very powerful. And they insist in implementing Sharia (ph) laws, which some Iranians believe do not give the full rights to women, and also prevent political activists to continue their work safely and without fear.
So, she is very popular amongst the reformists here and amongst the people as a whole, particularly amongst women. Her courage has been admired for a long time in Iran. Her work is not new. She has been -- she was a judge during the previous regime, before the revolution. So, even then, she was an exemplary woman in Iranian society.
LIN: Shirzad, thank you very much. Stay right there.
We also want to bring into this discussion Stein Toennesson. He is the director of the International Peace Research Institute in Oslo.
Mr. Toennesson, I'm wondering, why do you think the committee chose her?
STEIN TOENNESSON, INTERNATIONAL PEACE RESEARCH INSTITUTE: I think it's mainly because of her very substantial human rights work, and also her work for children rights, which is important. But I'm also quite convinced that the committee has been trying to look for a good female candidate, the good Muslim candidate, and they have been particularly interested in the Iranian reform movement, because Iran today has a chance of reforming its orthodox system in a non-Western way. It has its own very strong internal forces that have been struggling for reform, particularly since the presidential elections in 1997.
LIN: So, what accomplishments do you think she's been able to make for women and children? What kind of a difference has she made for them in her country?
TOENNESSON: I think she contributed strongly to the female mobilization for the reform movement in connection with the presidential elections in 1997. And then, she has also done an important work in writing books and in mobilization for children's rights, female rights, and also for reform based on the Muslim faith in a country based on the Muslim faith.
LIN: Well, what rights do women and children have in Iran?
TOENNESSON: They have often a very difficult situation, but it's not that impossible -- the same impossibility that you have in some other countries, much better like, for instance, Afghanistan during the Taliban and much better than you have in Saudi Arabia. The women have been active and have been able to organize in Iran, and have been mobilization together with the youth.
So, there is both repression and opportunity and possibility of reforming Iran. That's the interesting combination. LIN: All right, thank you very much, Stein Toennesson, with the Oslo Peace Institute for that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
