Women's Rights Award at the Geneva Summit for Democracy and Human Rights Presented to Shima Babaei, Human Rights Activist

The Women's Rights Award at the Geneva Summit for Democracy and Human Rights was awarded to Shima Babaei, a women's rights activist and daughter of Ebrahim Babaei, a human rights activist who has been 'missing' for a long time. In her acceptance speech, Shima Babaei dedicated her human rights award to the brave women and men of Iran who are fighting daily against a government that is anti-women, anti-life, and anti-freedom, and who do not cease their efforts until they achieve their goal, which has garnered admiration from people worldwide. Ebrahim Babaei, Shima Babaei's father, disappeared in early January 2022 while attempting to leave the country in the city of Makoo. Since then, the family's efforts to determine his fate have been unsuccessful. On the sidelines of the event, Narges Eskandari-Gronenberg, the Iranian-born mayor of Frankfurt, told Voice of America, 'We must be the voice of the people of Iran and must not remain silent in the face of executions. We need to show the world what is happening in Iran. We must raise our voices and shout. We must stop the executions.' Ali Ehsasi, an Iranian-born member of the Canadian Parliament, also stated on the sidelines of the Geneva Summit for Human Rights and Democracy, 'It is important to bring the issue of executions in Iran to the attention of the world. Without media coverage and public information, the Islamic Republic will continue its executions, and it is our duty to expose the nature of the Islamic Republic.' Shima Babaei emphasized that arrests, abuses, and threats have not diminished women's presence in protests, and she spoke about the crimes of the Islamic Republic against the people of Iran in the German Parliament. Amnesty International has called for the Islamic Republic to 'immediately' clarify the whereabouts of Ebrahim Babaei, marking four months since his 'enforced disappearance.'