英语名人堂：希尔琳·艾芭迪
Shirin Ebadi, born in 1947, is an Iranian lawyer and human rights activist. She is most famous for winning the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. The panel of judges praised her significant and pioneering efforts for democracy and human rights, especially women's and children's rights. She is the only Iranian and the first Muslim woman to receive the prize.
Ebadi grew up in Teheran and graduated in law in 1965. Four years later, she qualified to become a judge. In 1975, she became the first woman in her country to be in charge of a court. Following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the new government decided it was against Islam for women to be judges, so Ebadi was demoted to a secretarial position.
Ebadi was allowed to practice as a lawyer in 1993. She famously defended high-profile cases, especially those who challenged Iran’s leadership. She started campaigning for greater legal protection for women and children, gender equality, and democracy. She drafted a text against the physical abuse of children, which passed into law in 2002. She also founded the Children's Rights Support Association in Iran.
Winning the Nobel Prize propelled Ebadi onto the world stage. The selection committee praised her as a "courageous person" who "has never heeded the threat to her own safety". In 2008 she spoke about the dangers she faces in pursuing human rights: “Threats against my life and security and those of my family, which began some time ago, have intensified," she said.
