On 12 December, the European Parliament held an award ceremony in Strasbourg to acknowledge Zina Martha Amini and the Iranian Women, Life and Freedom motion. Amini was arrested by Iran’s “morality police” on suspicion of carrying a scarf inappropriately, and she or he died in custody in September 2022. Her dying sparked protests within the nation calling for larger girls’s rights.
Amini’s household was unable to attend the ceremony as a result of they’re prohibited from leaving Iran, so lawyer Saleh Nikbakht represented them. Iranian girls’s rights activists Ahsoon Najafi and Mercede Shahinkar each left Iran in 2023 to signify the protest motion.
“The braveness and resilience of Iranian girls preventing for justice, freedom and human rights won’t ever cease. Their voices can’t be silenced, and even when they aren’t right here immediately, their presence will likely be felt.” mentioned Roberta Mezzola, President of the European Parliament, on the opening of the ceremony.
Saleh Nikbakht learn out a message from Zina Mahsa Amini’s mom, Mojgan Eftekari. “Zina grew to become the embodiment of life and the key code to freedom, spreading her dream of freedom from her birthplace of Kurdistan to all of Iran, the Middle East, and the world” world. “
Watch the complete ceremony recording
Watch the stay interview with Afsoon Najafi and Mercede Shahinkar.