Shirin Ebadi at the Nobel Peace Conference: The People of Iran Want to Change the Islamic Republic Peacefully

Shirin Ebadi, at the Nobel Peace Conference in Oslo, referred to the protests of the Iranian people over the past year, stating, "When a fifteen-year-old girl takes to the streets knowing the life-threatening risks, we understand that society is awake and the people of Iran want to change the regime [Islamic Republic] peacefully." On Thursday, September 9, she said that the Islamic Republic has violated human rights since the day it came to power, and the human rights situation in Iran is deteriorating daily. Ebadi referenced the killing of Mahsa Amini in the custody of the morality police and noted that people took to the streets in hundreds of cities, declaring they do not want 'this regime' and voicing long-held demands. She stated that there is no independent court or parliament in Iran, saying, "All decisions are made by one person – the Supreme Leader – who has been granted absolute power in the constitution." Ebadi mentioned that people peacefully took to the streets during recent protests, but the government responded with gunfire. She referred to the under-eighteen fatalities caused by government forces, stating, "At least eighty of the deceased were under eighteen, and we obtain this data from the victims' families; it is only an estimate. At least one hospital in Tehran performed surgery on five hundred people who were injured by gunfire to their eyes." Ebadi said that the government does not allow the families of protesters to hold funerals and has detained many to the extent that prisons are overcrowded. She added that in Iran, people are becoming poorer despite the country being wealthy, while the government uses its resources for arms production and export, intervening in the politics of regional countries and escalating tensions. She also noted the participation of schoolgirls alongside their parents in protests against the regime and the removal of mandatory hijab, adding that in response, the government chemically attacked schools, resulting in one girl dying from poisoning and many being hospitalized. Ebadi also mentioned the government's treatment of doctors for treating the injured, leading to the deaths of six doctors. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate stated that the Islamic Republic regime has issued death penalties for protesters and executed several of them, even though the constitution allows peaceful protests without permission. She added, "This government shows no respect for order and law." Ebadi said, "When a fifteen-year-old girl goes to protest knowing the life-threatening risks, we understand that society is awake and the people of Iran want to peacefully overthrow this regime." At the end of her speech, she promised the audience, "I promise you this will be the last time I speak about the dire conditions in Iran, and next time I will talk about our victories." Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize twenty years ago, mentioned that this award has been very valuable to her as it has provided her multiple opportunities to voice the concerns of Iranian women to the world and discuss the challenges faced by the people of Iran with the global community. This year's theme of the Nobel Peace Conference was "Human Rights Heroes," and in addition to five Nobel Peace Prize winners, several prominent human rights experts gathered to discuss the status of human rights defenders in a world where "democracy is in decline." Mina Daris sang in memory of Mahdi Yarahy, "Enough of the sleep of negligence, rise up!" Special program: Madness of the Opponents. The mother of Houman Taheri says she will sue the Ministry of Intelligence for the "torture of her son." The policy of "homogenizing the higher education system" in the Islamic Republic; 157 professors have been removed in the past 18 years. Exclusive; Zartosht Ahmadi Raghb is in prison; 25 days on hunger strike, deprived of contact and visitation.