task force sakharov prize 20121 · 2012-12-06 · task force sakharov prize 20121 profile of the...

TASK FORCE SAKHAROV PRIZE 20121

PROFILE OF THE LAUREATES

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NASRIN SOTOUDEH

Nasrin Sotoudeh Langroud, born in 1963, studied international law at the Shahid Beheshti University and passed the Iranian Bar Exam in 1995. In her early career she worked for the Legal Department of the Iranian Ministry of Housing and the Bank-e Tejarati. She also prepared the legal arguments for many of the cases that Iran presented at The Hague in its dispute with the United States in the wake of the hostage crises, as stipulated by the Algiers Accords.She was a contributing author of Daricheye Goftogoo (a religious-nationalist magazine), where she was the only female on the staff. A dossier of interviews, reports, and articles she prepared on the occasion of International Women's Day was rejected.In 1995, Nasrin Sotoudeh joined the Kanun-e Vokala legal society, where she defended abused women, promoted professional care and medication for abusers, defended victims of child abuse, defended minors (under 18 years of age) sentenced to death as well as people sentenced to execution after the 2009 presidential election unrest.She also defended women activists involved in the One Million Signatures Campaign pro bono or for a token fee and represented activists and journalists such as Isa Saharkhiz, Heshmat Tabarzadi, Nahid Keshavarz, Parviz Ardalan, Omid Memarian, and Roya Tolouie.During the period of the government-organized serial killings, she defended those who were being pressured by the government to collaborate. She has worked closely with Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi and her Defenders of Human Rights Centre. She is also on the Board of Directors of the Society for Defence of Children's Rights.She was active in the One Million Signatures Campaign, campaigning throughout Iran for the elimination of laws which discriminated against women. After the 2009 elections, she was one of the founders of the Green Coalition of Women's Rights Movement, set up to introduce women's concerns into the broader Green Movement.

Publications: • Execution of Minors and Soghra's file(July 30, 2008, http://www.iranianfeministschool.info/english/spip.php?article105);• Hanging of Juveniles Under the Age of 18 in Iran(December 11, 2008, http://www.iranianfeministschool.info/english/spip.php?article191).

Awards: • Barbara Goldsmith Freedom of Expression Award from the PEN American Center;• PEN Canada Award;• Golden Iris Award, Florence, Italy;• The International Human rights award of Italy, 2008, by the International Human Rights Organization of Italy (a non governmental human rights institute);• The Sakharov Prize, 2012, by the European Parliament (shared with Iranian film director Jafar Panahi).



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Persecution and ImprisonmentIn August 2010, Iranian authorities raided Nasrin Sotoudeh's office, and a month later the 2010, they arrested her on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security. She was sentenced to 11 years in jail for charges that include "activities against national security" and "propaganda against the regime" and barred from practicing law and from leaving the country for 20 years. Upon appeal, these were reduced to six years and ten years, respectively. She is currently imprisoned in Evin Prison where she has been repeatedly held in solitary confinement. In September 2010, she went on her first hunger strike to protest being denied visits and phone calls from her family. It ended after four weeks. In October 2012, she began a second one in protest against her being held in solitary confinement.Sotoudeh's imprisonment was condemned by many human rights defenders worldwide, including the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, the International Federation for Human Rights, the Iranian League for the Defence of Human Rights, the Union Internationale des Avocats, the Law Society of England and Wales and the World Organization Against Torture, and Amnesty International. The United States State Department, through its spokesman Phillip Crowley, condemned what it called the "unjust and harsh verdict" against Sotoudeh, calling her "a strong voice for rule of law and justice in Iran".The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton has declared she is "following the case of Nasrin Sotoudeh and other human rights defenders with great concern".



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FULL NAMENasrin SOTOUDEH

NATIONALITYIranian

DATE OF BIRTH03/04/1963

CURRENT STATUSImprisoned in 4 September 2010, she has spent longs periods (over 100 days) in solitary confinement in the notorious Evin Prison- Date of the sentence: 9 January 2011- Charges: spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security- Sentence: imprisonment, ban of practicing law and travel restriction for the following 10 years (initial sentence was 20 years).- Duration of prison term: 6 years (reduced after the initial 11).- Condition of detention: banned from making telephone calls, suspects of ill-treatment, harassment reported by the Observatory for the protection of Human Rights defenders.

PAST AND CURRENT POSITIONS- (Current): Defenders of Human Rights Centre - DHRC

BACKGROUND AND ACTIVITIES WITHIN CIVIL SOCIETYNasrin Sotoudeh is a leading human rights lawyer widely respected for her efforts on behalf of juveniles facing the death penalty and for her defence of prisoners of conscience. Sotoudeh had earlier been charged with threatening national security.



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She has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 Iranian presidential elections as well as prisoners sentenced to death for crimes committed when they were minors. Her clients have included noted journalist Isa Saharkhiz and Heshmat Tabarzadi, the head of Iran's banned opposition group, the Democratic Front. MS Sotoudeh was arrested in September 2010 on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security and has been imprisoned in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. According to Nobel Peace Prize Shrin Ebadi, her attempts to dissaminate information and call on public support led to her arrest.In January 2011, Iranian authorities sentenced Sotoudeh to 11 years in prison in addition to barring her from practicing law and from leaving the country for 20 years. According to her husband, Reza Khandan, she has stated that she has withdrawn her appeals request.She is a member of FIDH member organization, the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC)founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. One of the cases she defended was the one of Omid Memarian (former prisoner of conscience)

ANNEX - info provided by DEVE - DROI - AFET

Nasrin Sotoudeh is an Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate. Ms Sotoudeh has represented imprisoned Iranian opposition activists and politicians following the disputed June 2009 presidential elections as well as juvenile offenders facing the death sentence.

Ms Sotoudeh was arrested in September 2010 on charges of spreading propaganda and conspiring to harm state security and has been imprisoned in solitary confinement in Evin Prison. In January 2011, the Iranian Revolutionary Court sentenced her to 11 years in prison in addition to barring her from practicing law and from leaving the country for 20 years. According to Ms Sotoudeh's husband, Mr Reza Khandan, following international pressure, her sentence has been cut to six years, and the bar was reduced to 10 years.

Ms Sotoudeh took the Bar (Kanoon Vokala) exam in 1995 but was not permitted to practice law for eight years. After earning her lawyer's credentials in 2003 she became one of the most active members of the Iranian Law Society. Her work has included defending juveniles, women and prisoners of conscience; she has also been committed to protecting abused children by preventing



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their return to their abusive fathers. Ms Sotoudeh has defended human rights campaigners and political activists, including Nobel Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, journalist Isa Saharkhiz and Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, leader of the banned Democratic Front of Iran. Ms Sotoudeh is a mother of two.

By sacrificing her own freedom and persisting in her belief in the fundamental principles of justice and the unbreakable right to a fair trial, Ms Sotoudeh has become a symbol of those Iranian citizens, human rights defenders and lawyers who have become victims of the Iranian authorities' effort to prevent citizens, particularly those critical of the regime, from being able to access appropriate, competent legal representation. A basic right and indispensable for a fair trail guarantee. By making lawyers pay the price of their own freedom for exercising their profession, the Iranian authorities are further undermining an already deeply flawed justice system.With lawyers behind bars and threatened, clients - often victims of human rights violations - are left defenceless at the mercy of the authorities. By awarding the Sakharov Prize to Ms Sotoudeh the European Parliament will send a strong message of support and encouragement to the Iranian people, in particular those in need of legal representation, that they will not be forgotten and have our full support in their struggle for human dignity, justice and respect for their basic human rights and fundamental freedoms.



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JAFAR PANAHI

Jafar Panahi (Persian: جعفر پناهی) born on 11 July 1960, is an Iranian film director, screenwriter and film editor most frequently associated with the Iranian New Wave film movement.

After several years of making short films and working as an assistant director for fellow Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi first achieved international recognition with his feature film debut The White Balloon in 1995. The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival and Panahi was quickly recognized as one of the most influential filmmakers in Iran.

Although his films are often banned in his own country, including at present, he continues to receive international acclaim from film theorists and critics and has won numerous awards, including the Golden Leopard at the 1997 Locarno International Film Festival for The Mirror, the Golden Lion at the 2000 Venice Film Festival for The Circle and the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival for Offside.

Panahi's films are known for their humanistic perspective on life in Iran, often focusing on the hardships of children, the impoverished and women. Author Hamid Dabashi has said that "Panahi does not do as he is told - in fact he has made a successful career in not doing as he is told".

After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested in March 2010 along with his wife, daughter and 15friends and was later charged with committing propaganda against the Iranian government. Despite support from filmmakers, filmorganizations and human rights organizations from around the world, in December 2010 Panahi was sentenced to a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media and from leaving the country.

This stifling treatment led to Panahi's last film to date: This Is Not a Film, a documentary feature in the form of a video diary that was made in spite of the legal ramifications of Panahi's arrest. It wassmuggled out of Iran in a flash-drive and was screened at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.



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FULL NAMEJafar PANAHI

NATIONALITYIranian

DATE OF BIRTH11/07/1960 (Mianeh, Iran)

CURRENT STATUSAwaiting for verdict execution (prison sentence may start at any time)- Date of the sentence: 20 December 2010- Charges: assembly and colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’ s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic;- Sentence: 6 years jail and 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media and from leaving the country.

INTERNATIONAL AWARDSCarrosse d'Or, Cannes Film Festival (2011)HIVOS Cinema Unlimited Award (2007)Pudú Award, Valdivia International Film Festival (2007)Silver Bear, Berlin Film Festival (2006)Prix du Jury, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival (2003)Golden Lion, Venice Film Festival (2000)Golden Leopard, Locarno International Film Festival (1997)Prix de la Camera d'Or, Cannes Film Festival (1995)

ACTIVITIES WITHIN CIVIL SOCIETY AN POLITICAL BACKGROUND

During his long activity as a film director, screen writer and film editor (his first film was released in 1995), Jafar Panahi has often experienced severe limitation to his freedom of expression: several of his movies have been banned by the Iranian regime while receiving international acclaim and



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recognition in many occasions. As a representative of the so-called new Wave film movement inspired by realism and by an humanistic worldview, Panahi has been showing through is camera the hardship of life in Iran for children, the impoverished and women. As synthesized in its own words "in my first films, I worked with children and young people, but I began to think of the limitations facing these girls once they grow up. In order to visualize these limitations and to have this constraint better projected visually, I went to a social class, which has more limitations to areas that are more underprivileged, so that this idea could come out ever stronger".

His focus on the difficulties beard by vulnerable groups, especially by women under the Islamic Government, has encountered the disappointment of Iranian censorship apparatus and already brought him to jail for short term periods.The limitation imposed by the Iranian regime on Panahi freedom of expression culminated with his arrest in march 2010 together with his wife, daughter and 15 friends. His arrest sparked a petition signed by many high-profile actors and directors (Steven Spielberg, Robert De Niro, the Coen brothers). Later, at the Cannes film festival, Juliette Binoche broke down in tears at the podium upon hearing reports that Panahi had begun a hunger strike.One of the alleged reason of this exacerbation of government's reaction has been Panahi's stance in vocally supporting the Green Movement, arisen to protest against the disputed result of 2009 elections that returned Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to power.Released in bail on 25 May 2010, he is now in a sort of limbo, being awaiting for the execution of his prison sentence. The director once remarked that he had spent his entire career making movies "constructed around the notion of restriction, limitation, confinement and boundaries". As a further, touching example of this attitude, his last film ironically named "This is not a film", shot in 2011 in the middle of the court appeal in breach of the ban on making films and documentaries, provide his public with a picture of Panahi sitting in his apartment in a sort of condition of house arrest, but still trying to stay rational, making telephone calls to his lawyer about his court case , interacting with his friend and filmmaker Mojtaba Mirtahmasb hidden behind the camera, talking about the film that he was about to shoot when he was arrested.Inspired by Magritte's painting "The Treachery of Images", Panahi shows his rebellious spirit refusing



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to shut down his free artistic soul. He thus circumvents the ban on making a film, ironically telling his public about the film he would make if he could. This Is Not a Film was announced as a surprise entry ten days before the opening of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. It was smuggled out of Iran on a USB thumb drive that had been hidden inside a cake. Commenting on this exceptional circumstance, the British-Iranian comic Omid Djalili said, "I love the fact that he sent it to us in a cake [... It's a gift, it's a laugh; it says a lot about the spirit of the man." Despite of his struggle to preserve his freedom of expression progressively curtailed by the Iranian Government, he seems not to have lost his faith in the future and his attachment to his country. As a proof of this attitude, unlike his fellows filmmakers who fled from the country, he decided to stay thus paying the high price of being deprived of his fundamental freedoms. The open letter sent from prison to the Berlin Festival 2011 jury, to which he could not participate because of his arrest, is one of the most powerful account of the sense of frustration caused by that condition of deprivation, but also of his hope in a future where Human Rights and Fundamental freedoms will be respected in Iran and in the entire world: "the world of filmmaker is marked by the interplay between reality and dreams, the filmmaker uses reality as his inspiration and paints it with the color of his imagination and creates a film which is the projection of these hopes and dreams.The reality is that I have been kept from making films from the past five years and now officially sentenced to be deprived of this right for another 20 years but I know I will keep on turning my dreams into films in my imagination. I admit as a socially conscious filmmaker that I would not be able to portray the daily problems and concerns of my people but I would not deny myself from dreaming that after twenty years all these problems will be gone and I will be making films about the peace and prosperity in my country when I will get a chance to do so again. The reality is that they have deprived me of thinking and writing for twenty years but they can not keep me from dreaming that in twenty years inquisition and intimidation will be replaced by freedom and free thinking. They have deprived me of seeing the world for twenty years, I hope that when I am free I will be able to travel the world without any geographical, ethical and ideological border, where people live together freely and peacefully regardless of their beliefs and their conditions. The have condemned me to twenty years of silence. Yet, in my dreams I scream for a time when we can tolerate each other opinions and live for each other. Ultimately the reality of the verdict is that I must spend six years in jail, I will live for the next six years hoping that my dreams will become reality.



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I wish that my fellows filmmakers in every corner of the world will create such great films that by the time I will leave the prison I will be inspired to continue to live in the world that I have dreamt for me. So from now on and for the news twenty years I will be forced to be silent, I am forced not to be able to see, I am forced not to be able to think, I am forced not to be able to make films... I submit to the reality of captivity and the captures. I look forward for the manifestation in my dreams of your films, hoping to find in them what I have been deprived of".

task force sakharov prize 20121 · 2012-12-06 · task force sakharov prize 20121 profile of the...

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