Shirin Ebadi Critical of UNICEF, Sees Tehran Office as Failing to Condemn Child Rights Violations : France24 / Kul Gautam
Just heard 2002 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi on France 24 TV. She was very critical of UNICEF, and specifically mentioned that although UNICEF had an office in Tehran it was doing nothing to condemn the gross violations of child rights in Iran.
She called on Western governments to downgrade their diplomatic representation in Tehran from Embassies to Consulates only. She predicted that the theocratic regime there will be overthrown and replaced by a democratic and secular regime.
In her first interview since the start of this year's uprising in Iran, lawyer Shirin Ebadi talks to FRANCE 24 about the Iranian people's desire for democracy. Ebadi was Iran's first female judge before losing her right to practice in 1979 amid the creation of the Islamic Republic. She has dedicated her life to defending the most vulnerable in Iran, and tried to demonstrate the contradictions of the Islamic laws. Awarded the Nobel Prize in 2003, she was forced to flee Iran in 2009.
Ebadi believes that a revolution is currently under way in Iran, and the regime cannot last much longer given the Iranian people's desire for democracy. Ebadi talks about the 14,000 arrests since the protests began three months ago following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Tehran's morality police. Ebadi says the “violence has taken unprecedented proportions” and it is now impossible to go back. She believes that the current movement is "the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime".
She called on Western governments to downgrade their diplomatic representation in Tehran from Embassies to Consulates only. She predicted that the theocratic regime there will be overthrown and replaced by a democratic and secular regime.
Ebadi believes that a revolution is currently under way in Iran, and the regime cannot last much longer given the Iranian people's desire for democracy. Ebadi talks about the 14,000 arrests since the protests began three months ago following the death of Mahsa Amini while in the custody of Tehran's morality police. Ebadi says the “violence has taken unprecedented proportions” and it is now impossible to go back. She believes that the current movement is "the beginning of the end for the Iranian regime".
ReplyDeleteShirin was once very close to UNICEF, would given the current situation this is not surprise. I met her once. Great advocate for children, for human rights, and for Iran.
Hello, yes, I recruited her in Unicef - as we had common activist friends - to translate the CRC when it first was signed/ratified and compare it with Iranian and Islamic law in the first ever such effort in Iran and we undertook various joint activities with Shirin Ebadi before she won the Nobel Prize and was forced into exile. My husband had earlier recruited her in UNHCR Iran to work on Refugee Rights in Iran. She later established a Child Rights CSO in Iran which continues and whose members have been arrested. She herself is now based in the Uk and has two adult daughters, one who works with her. She spoke at the UN recently on Iran with Nazanin Bonyadi, an actress/activist. She is very active these days and especially on Club House almost every day.
ReplyDeleteSalutation to Tom, Kul and particularly to our dear colleague, Niloufar. We must all together join forces and denounce the obscene abuse of children's rights where ever it is taking place with impunity. Millions of people should voice their outrage and bring pressure of world opinion, showing zero tolerance for violation of human rights, particularly rights of children. The voices should be backed by actions designed to bring perpetrators to account. And the pressure must be sustained to make impact.
ReplyDeleteI too had the pleasure of working with Shirin Ebadi in Iran with the objective of actively promoting CRC through collaboration of all major stakeholder partners, particularly civil societies.
I hope our messages will prompt a stronger principled stand by UNICEF
Warm regards and power to all of you
Baquer Namazi, November 23, 2022