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    Since 2006 we have worked in solidarity with women's movements, organizations, and activists around the world to build peace, defend justice, and champion equality for all.
    • The Laureates

      • Rigoberta Menchú Tum
      • Jody Williams
      • Shirin Ebadi
      • Leymah Gbowee
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 Shirin Ebadi   Iran, 2003

Shirin Ebadi

Iran, 2003

Shirin Ebadi, J.D., was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to promote human rights, in particular, the rights of women, children, and political prisoners in Iran. She is the first Muslim woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, and only the fifth Muslim to receive a Nobel Prize in any field.

Dr. Ebadi was the first woman to become a presiding Judge in Iran. She served as president of the city court of Tehran from 1975 to 1979. She, along with other women judges, was dismissed from that position after the Islamic Revolution in February 1979. She was made a clerk in the court she had once presided over, until she petitioned for early retirement. After obtaining her lawyer’s license in 1992, Dr. Ebadi set up private practice. As a lawyer, Dr. Ebadi has taken on many controversial cases defending political dissidents and as a result has been arrested numerous times.

"Human rights is a universal standard. It is a component of every religion and every civilization."

In addition to being an internationally-recognized advocate of human rights, she has also established many non-governmental organizations in Iran, including the Million Signatures Campaign, a campaign demanding an end to legal discrimination against women in Iranian law. Dr. Ebadi is also a university professor and often students from outside Iran take part in her human rights training courses. She has published over 70 articles and 13 books dedicated to various aspects of human rights, some of which have been published by UNICEF.  In 2004, she was named by Forbes Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world.

In January 2006, along with sister laureates Jody Williams and Wangari Maathai, Dr. Ebadi took the lead in establishing the Nobel Women’s Initiative.

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The Laureates

Rigoberta Menchú Tum

Guatemala

Jody Williams

USA

Leymah Gbowee

Liberia

Tawakkol Karman

Yemen

Maria Ressa

Philippines

Narges Mohammadi

Iran

Oleksandra Matviichuk

Ukraine

Related Links

Statements

Dr Shirin Ebadi's Open Letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. 6 March 2023. 

Dr Shirin Ebadi Addresses UN Security Council. 4 November 2022. 

An Open Letter to the People of Iran. 28 September 2022. 

In the media

Iran's 'paper tiger' leadership will fall, predicts Nobel peace laureate Ebadi. Reuters. 25 June 2025.

Nobel Laureate Ebadi Says UNICEF Neglects Iran’s Children. Kayhan Life. 04 June 2025.

Nobel Peace Laureates Conclude Jordan Visit with Meeting with HRH Prince El Hassan bin Talal. ARDD. 21 April 2025.

Women Nobel Peace Laureates and Jordanian Human Rights Defenders Call for Collective Action for Peace and Security. ARDD. 16 April 2025.

Women Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Travel to Meet Palestinian Women. Fox4 News. 15 April 2025.

Iranian Nobel Laureate Fears Israel Confrontation Is Prelude To Tighter Domestic Crackdown. Radio Free Europe. 20 April 2024. 

'Only democracy can solve this problem' - a conversation with Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi. Waging NonViolence. 3 November 2023.  

From Rigoberta Menchú Tum to Narges Mohammadi; 6 Women who won Nobel Peace Price Fighting All Odds till date. Free Press Journal. 06 October 2023. 

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi reflects on decades of resistance against Iran’s regime. The Globe and Mail. 6 October 2023.

Nobel laureate Ebadi hopes Mohammadi's will bring equality to Iranian women. Reuters. 6 October 2023.

Shirin Ebadi: ‘If we don’t unite—we won’t be able to topple the Islamic Republic’. Atlantic Council. 20 September 2023

Shirin Ebadi Fast Facts. y!News. 02 June 2023.

Nobel laureate Ebadi says Iran's 'revolutionary process' is irreversible. Reuters. 3 February 2023.

Rencontre avec Shirin Ebadi, prix Nobel de la paix : «On est obligés de faire cette révolution.» Charlie Hebdo. 18 January 2023.

Shirin Ebadi on the legal obstacles Iran’s protesters face. Economist, 16 November 2022

U.S/ Seeks Removal of Iran From U.N. Women's Rights Agency. New York Times, 2 November 2022

Nobel Peace Prize Laureates Spotlight the Brave, Visionary Women of Ukraine And Launch 'Women Lead' Campaign. Forbes, 28 October 2022

'Iran will be democratic one day': Shirin Ebadi. DW, 23 October 2022

“They Want a Democracy”: Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Shirin Ebadi on Protests, Regime’s Future. Democracy Now, 20 October 2022

Shirin Ebadi: Women will open the gate to democracy in Iran. CNN, 7 October 2022

Books and Film

Book: Iran Awakening: One Woman's Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country. Published on 10 April 2007.

Book: The Golden Cage: Three Brothers, Three Choices, One Destiny. Published on 30 April 2011.

Book: Until We Are Free. Published on 8 March 2016.

Film: Until We Are Free

Film: Nasrin

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