Shadi Sadr receives Alexander Prize 2010
Hivos is pleased to announce that the Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize will this year be awarded to Iranian women’s rights activist Shadi Sadr.
Shadi Sadr is an Iranian lawyer who has risked her life in her efforts to protect the human rights of women activists and journalists. She has been arrested, beaten and imprisoned in Iran. In July 2009 she was arrested once again and then released, which allowed her to escape to Germany. On May 17, 2010, Ms. Sadr was convicted in absentia in a Tehran court of “acting against national security and harming public order” and was sentenced to six years in prison with 74 lashes.
Raahi
Hivos supported Shadi Sadr and her organization, Raahi, from 2004 until the organization was closed down by the Iranian authorities in 2007. Shadi Sadr was arrested and detained for questioning without clear charges several times. This intimidation by the Iranian government has not prevented Sadr to continue her fight for women's rights in Iran.
The Alexander Law Prize aims to bring recognition to lawyers who have used their legal careers to help alleviate injustice and inequity. The hope is that recognition of such individuals will improve the image of lawyers around the world. The Committee selected Shadi Sadr because of her ceaseless dedication to championing the cause of Iranian women and risking her freedom to defend those who are wrongfully accused and imprisoned.
Courage and self-sacrifice
From the Committee’s report: “Ms. Sadr has touched the lives of thousands of individuals through the entities she has established and her support of campaigns such as "End Stoning Forever." She founded the website ‘Women in Iran’ and was the director of Raahi, a legal center for women which has since been closed. Ms. Sadr exemplifies the courage and self-sacrifice required of Alexander Prize recipients.”
The award ceremony will take place on thursday, september 30.
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