Shirin Ebadi

Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian lawyer, human rights and democracy activist, and the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, becoming the first Iranian citizen and the first Muslim woman to receive the award. A law graduate from the University of Tehran, she was appointed judge in 1969, becoming the first Iranian woman to hold that position. After the 1979 Islamic Revolution, she was dismissed and relegated to administrative duties, but continued her work by writing books and articles on human rights. Throughout her career, she has worked on numerous cases involving human rights violations, with particular focus on women and children. She is co-founder of the Society for Protecting the Rights of the Child and the Defenders of Human Rights Center. Internationally recognised, she now lectures worldwide on peace, international justice, human rights and the role of women.