Shirin Ebadi was born June 21st, 1947 in Hamadan, Iran. She is known to be the first Iranian to with the Nobel Peace Prize. Ebadi is also a campaigner for women’s and children’s rights. Throughout her life her Shirin has been working towards changing custody laws in Iran. Especially after knowing the facts of 9-year-old, Arian Golshani who was beaten to death by her father and stepmother. In which Iranian laws did not allow Golshani’s mother to have custody of her because it favored men over women. In 1969 Shirin became the first female judge in Iran, but was forced to step down 10 years later after the Islamic Revolution. In 2000, she was jailed for more than three weeks and suspended from practicing law for five years. Shirin and another attorney had been accused of releasing a video that put the political figures of members of the government in jeopardy. It seemed as though every few years Shirin, had to fight some sort of battle against the Iranian government. In 2008, Shrin had been receiving death threats, so the Iranian President at the time Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered a police investigation. A year later, the police investigation led to the Iranian government raiding Shirin’s office, confiscating her Nobel medal, and freezing her bank accounts. Once they realized how powerful Shirin had become, they did everything in their power to minimize how much influence she had over the Iranian people.
What inspires me the most about Shirin Ebadi is that she didn’t let anything or anyone stop her from making a change within her community. She did everything in her power to promote children and women equality, despite the troubles the government gave her. Looking at her father’s background who was advanced in law as well, he may have been a potential person who inspired Shirin to become the person she is known for today.
Works Cited
“Shirin Ebadi Fast Facts.” CNN, Cable News Network, 31 May 2018,www.cnn.com/2013/01/01/world/meast/shirin-ebadi-
fast-facts/index.html.