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CNN Live At Daybreak

Iranian Leader Shirin Ebadi Wins Nobel Peace Prize

Aired October 10, 2003 - 06:30   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: The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize has just been awarded to Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi. The announcement came last hour in Oslo, Norway.
Ebadi is a human rights and democracy activist, notably for the rights of women and children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLE DANBOLT MJOES, NOBEL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The message is to the whole world -- to Iran, to the Muslim world, to the world as such, and also to Norway -- that they think human rights are so important for the world to get peace, basic human rights, women's rights, children's rights all over the world. This is the message from this Nobel Prize winner and the committee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And the Nobel Peace Prize comes with a cash award of more than $1 million dollars.

Now, shortly after the Nobel announcement, I spoke with Shirin Ebadi by phone, and I asked her about her accomplishments.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SHIRIN EBADI, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: I think I work for children's rights in Iran. I have an NGO for supporting the issues (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iran, which is very active in children in the streets and the children in prison. And then, I work for women's rights in Iran, and I teach in the university women's rights. I've published 11 books in many branches of human rights in Iran, refugee's rights, children's rights and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and tradition in Iranian (UNINTELLIGIBLE) system. And I accepted many political cases in Iran courts.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LIN: And she was jailed for many of her efforts in fighting for those human rights.

Ebadi has been in Paris for a visit. She was on her way back to Iran, when the Nobel Committee called and asked her to delay the trip.

All right, let's get reaction now from a man who knows about Ebadi's work. Actually, if you can hear that noise in the background, it's the International Desk. Joining me on the phone from London is journalist Amur Taheri, who has known Ebadi for 30 years.

What was your reaction, Amur, to hearing how modestly Ms. Ebadi accepted her award? She said she was shocked when the committee called her.

AMUR TAHERI, JOURNALIST: Well, this is very typical of her. She is really a great lady, and this is the best piece of news that we Iranians have had in a long time. People in Iran are congratulating themselves as if it were a great national victory. People are distributing sweets among passersby in the street. This is very, very good news for all of us.

LIN: And good news in what sense? I mean, obviously proud as a nation. She is the first -- actually, the first Iranian to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

TAHERI: Yes, but this is not only a nationalist, the action, because she is a human rights campaigner. And by choosing her, the outside world -- that is the democratic world -- is sending a signal to Iran that we want you to be part of us, that Iran is not only about mullahs with long beards and women in those dreadful jobs, that Iran is young nation, it wants to be part of the modern world, wants to live by human rights in a democratic system.

LIN: You've known her for this long, some 30 years. Why is it -- tell us about this woman personally? I mean, why is it that she chose this line of work? Why is it that she personally was willing to take these risks for her cause?

TAHERI: She is one of the second generation of women who had an opportunity in Iran to show themselves. You know, women got the right to work and get elected to the parliament in 1962. In 1965, the Family Protection Act gave them the right to divorce and abolished polygamy. Many ladies went to universities and graduated in different (UNINTELLIGIBLE), including law.

And by the time Khomeini's revolution came, we had about 30 women judges, including one in the Supreme Court. And Mrs. Ebadi was one of the young judges at the time. And instead -- you know, she had the opportunity, like many, many others, to leave Iran, to go into exile. She didn't. She stayed behind in the country courageously, went to jail (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You know, she has been defending political prisoners without getting any fees for years. She has been speaking at university students gatherings in favor of democracy. She has an NGO. She has attended many different international conferences over the years to spread the message of the Iranian democratic movement.

LIN: A remarkable woman, Shirin Ebadi.

TAHERI: Yes.

LIN: thank you so much, Taheri, for joining us this morning and sharing a bit of your insight about a woman you've known now for three decades, the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. 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 - 06:30   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize has just been awarded to Iranian human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi. The announcement came last hour in Oslo, Norway.
Ebadi is a human rights and democracy activist, notably for the rights of women and children.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OLE DANBOLT MJOES, NOBEL COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: The message is to the whole world -- to Iran, to the Muslim world, to the world as such, and also to Norway -- that they think human rights are so important for the world to get peace, basic human rights, women's rights, children's rights all over the world. This is the message from this Nobel Prize winner and the committee.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: And the Nobel Peace Prize comes with a cash award of more than $1 million dollars.

Now, shortly after the Nobel announcement, I spoke with Shirin Ebadi by phone, and I asked her about her accomplishments.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

SHIRIN EBADI, NOBEL PEACE PRIZE WINNER: I think I work for children's rights in Iran. I have an NGO for supporting the issues (UNINTELLIGIBLE) in Iran, which is very active in children in the streets and the children in prison. And then, I work for women's rights in Iran, and I teach in the university women's rights. I've published 11 books in many branches of human rights in Iran, refugee's rights, children's rights and (UNINTELLIGIBLE) and tradition in Iranian (UNINTELLIGIBLE) system. And I accepted many political cases in Iran courts.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

LIN: And she was jailed for many of her efforts in fighting for those human rights.

Ebadi has been in Paris for a visit. She was on her way back to Iran, when the Nobel Committee called and asked her to delay the trip.

All right, let's get reaction now from a man who knows about Ebadi's work. Actually, if you can hear that noise in the background, it's the International Desk. Joining me on the phone from London is journalist Amur Taheri, who has known Ebadi for 30 years.

What was your reaction, Amur, to hearing how modestly Ms. Ebadi accepted her award? She said she was shocked when the committee called her.

AMUR TAHERI, JOURNALIST: Well, this is very typical of her. She is really a great lady, and this is the best piece of news that we Iranians have had in a long time. People in Iran are congratulating themselves as if it were a great national victory. People are distributing sweets among passersby in the street. This is very, very good news for all of us.

LIN: And good news in what sense? I mean, obviously proud as a nation. She is the first -- actually, the first Iranian to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

TAHERI: Yes, but this is not only a nationalist, the action, because she is a human rights campaigner. And by choosing her, the outside world -- that is the democratic world -- is sending a signal to Iran that we want you to be part of us, that Iran is not only about mullahs with long beards and women in those dreadful jobs, that Iran is young nation, it wants to be part of the modern world, wants to live by human rights in a democratic system.

LIN: You've known her for this long, some 30 years. Why is it -- tell us about this woman personally? I mean, why is it that she chose this line of work? Why is it that she personally was willing to take these risks for her cause?

TAHERI: She is one of the second generation of women who had an opportunity in Iran to show themselves. You know, women got the right to work and get elected to the parliament in 1962. In 1965, the Family Protection Act gave them the right to divorce and abolished polygamy. Many ladies went to universities and graduated in different (UNINTELLIGIBLE), including law.

And by the time Khomeini's revolution came, we had about 30 women judges, including one in the Supreme Court. And Mrs. Ebadi was one of the young judges at the time. And instead -- you know, she had the opportunity, like many, many others, to leave Iran, to go into exile. She didn't. She stayed behind in the country courageously, went to jail (UNINTELLIGIBLE). You know, she has been defending political prisoners without getting any fees for years. She has been speaking at university students gatherings in favor of democracy. She has an NGO. She has attended many different international conferences over the years to spread the message of the Iranian democratic movement.

LIN: A remarkable woman, Shirin Ebadi.

TAHERI: Yes.

LIN: thank you so much, Taheri, for joining us this morning and sharing a bit of your insight about a woman you've known now for three decades, the first Iranian to win the Nobel Peace Prize. TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.