Iran’s Mahsa Amini Finalist For EU’s Top Human Rights Prize
The European Parliament Thursday announced the finalists for this year’s prestigious Sakharov Prize that includes Mahsa Amini and the Woman Life Freedom Movement in Iran.
The European Parliament Thursday announced the finalists for this year’s prestigious Sakharov Prize that includes Mahsa Amini and the Woman Life Freedom Movement in Iran.
Last year, the death of Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman while in police custody for improper attire, sparked one of the most widespread anti-government protests across the country. The crackdown on protests resulted in hundreds of deaths and thousands of arrests by authorities, according to human rights organizations.
The Woman Life Freedom Movement has gained international attention in support of Iranian women who have been enduring decades of oppression and enforced hijab by the Islamic Republic’s regime since 1979.
The Sakharov Prize is awarded each year by the European Parliament since 1988 to honor individuals and organizations that defend human rights and basic freedoms. The winning laureates for 2023 selected by the European Parliament will receive the prize in a ceremony in December in Strasbourg.
Previous recipients of the prize include Nelson Mandela and Malala Yousafzai, who also won the Nobel Peace Prize.
The shortlist is the latest show of recognition of the plight of Iranian women by the international community. Last week, jailed activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for what the committee called “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”
Meanwhile, days after the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death in September, Iranian parliament passed a chastity and hijab bill to impose heavier penalties on women who do not follow the compulsory Islamic dress code.
As all media are meant to echo the official stance of Ali Khamenei, Iran’s former Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, the architect of Tehran’s nuclear deal with the world and the mastermind behind the regime’s lobbying network abroad, hailed not only Hamas but also Khamenei for the regime's stance to distance itself from the Hamas massacre now shocking the world.
During an event to unveil his latest book, Zarif said, “Israel needs to create both internal and external adversaries for its survival,” tacitly referring to statements that implicated the regime in the Hamas multi-thronged attack on Israeli cities, which has killed over 1,300 Israelis and injured thousands more.
“Israel seeks to portray Iran as a threat. I am very pleased that our Supreme Leader disrupted the Israeli plot in his Tuesday speech. This was a necessity for Iran's national security," Zarif added. On Tuesday, Khamenei strategically changed his view about Iran's involvement in the Hamas terror attack in comparison to his earlier statement.
Earlier, Khamenei had said, "We intervened due to our enmity with Israel and the result was the victory in the 33-day and 22-day wars. We will help any group that would fight Israel." But his opinion was different on Tuesday after being cautioned and warned by US officials: "Islamic Iran is being named as the country behind this move [by Hamas]. But they make a mistake. This was done by Palestinians themselves."
Expressing any opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in Iran is a risky endeavor, as all officials and politicians must meticulously align themselves with Khamenei’s subtle nuances. In Iran, once Khamenei dictates the regime's policy themes concerning global developments, other officials, clerics, and his representatives across the country begin to disseminate them.
No matter the changes in Khamenei’s rhetoric or tone, the regime's position remains inherently contradictory. It applauds Hamas's bloody attack as a victory in their wish to uproot Israel, takes pride in its years of support for the Gaza-ruling terrorist group, and pledges further assistance, all while maintaining Iran's non-involvement.
After Khamenei sets the tone and direction, much of the saber-rattling is automatically delegated to his men installed in all the country’s organizations and governing bodies. His representative in the Revolutionary Guards, Abdollah Hajisadeghi, said Thursday that Israel "lacks the capability to confront the resistance front." The ‘resistance’ is the term the Islamic Republic regime calls its logistic, financial and intelligence support for the militia groups in the region, several of which were created by Iran.
He added that Iran must deliver this message to Israel with a resounding voice: "Until your complete annihilation, the Islamic Revolution and the Resistance front will never rest."
Khamenei’s chief of staff, Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, said, "The Israeli prime minister said the head of the snake is in Iran; this is not the head of the snake, it is the staff of Moses, and it’ll swallow and destroy all snakes.” According to Biblical and Quranic stories, the Moses’ staff became a serpent and swallowed up all other staffs that had also been transformed into snakes by Pharaoh’s sorcerers.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who is in Iraq on the first leg of his tour of the region to discuss the conflict, said Thursday "The Islamic Republic's stance on Palestine is unequivocal, and we have consistently supported the rights of Palestinian Muslims. However, what happened during the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm was an entirely Palestinian, self-driven reaction to the continued offenses and provocations committed by the Zionists against the Palestinian people.”
President Raisi also reiterated Thursday that Iran defends Palestine and “takes pride in defending their rights." He again congratulated Hamas on its “significant victories” in recent days.
Senior Hamas official Ali Baraka said in an interview with a Russian channel earlier in the week that “Hamas had been secretly planning the invasion of southern Israel for two years, even as it was making it seem like it was busy governing the Gaza Strip.” During all this time, Iran had been providing Hamas with military training, financial and arms support, and intelligence.
