Alice Schwarzer Foundation Awards First 'Heroine of the Year' Prize to Nasrin Sotoudeh

The German Alice Schwarzer Foundation awarded the first 'Heroine of the Year' prize to Nasrin Sotoudeh, a imprisoned human rights lawyer. According to the German news agency, Berlin's mayor, Kai Wegner, described Nasrin Sotoudeh as a symbol of the fight for human rights and stated, 'She pays a heavy price for this work.' Kai Wegner had previously referred to Nasrin Sotoudeh as a 'hero' and one of the women 'committed to women's rights and opposing their oppression' in the world. The award ceremony took place on Monday, November 13, at the Berlin City Hall, with Kai Wegner in attendance. In part of his statement, the mayor praised the struggle of 'brave Iranian women' against compulsory hijab and called for 'support and solidarity' with them. The Berlin City Hall statement introduced Nasrin Sotoudeh as a woman who has removed her compulsory hijab in defense of Iranian women's rights, making her deserving of the €10,000 'Heroine of the Year' award. Mansoureh Shojaei, a women's rights activist, had previously announced the awarding of this prize to Nasrin Sotoudeh on her Instagram page. Nasrin Sotoudeh, a 60-year-old lawyer and human rights activist, was arrested on November 7 after appearing without a compulsory hijab at the funeral of Armita Garavand, a deceased 16-year-old girl, and is currently imprisoned in Qarchak Prison in Varamin. Government media have accused her of 'removing the hijab and activities against the psychological security of society.' This human rights activist has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times before. Nasrin Sotoudeh, the imprisoned lawyer, stated: 'We had risked our lives with our hair in the entirely male and security-dominated Evin Prison.' The United Nations has called for the dissolution of the 'Morality Police,' stating that any form of violence against women should be criminalized. Nasrin Sotoudeh's arrest occurred during the funeral of Armita Garavand. Amnesty International has stated that compulsory hijab is a tool for 'widespread and systematic' violations of the rights of women and girls in Iran.