Shirin Ebadi is an Iranian human rights lawyer, author, and Nobel Laureate. The first female judge in Iranian history, Ebadi was removed from her post after the 1979 Revolution, when women were deemed unfit to serve as judges. She is known for representing persecuted dissidents, defending children’s and women’s rights, and speaking out against human rights violations of the Iranian dictatorship. Ebadi was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. She was the first Muslim woman and the first Iranian to receive the award. She has received numerous honorary doctorates from institutions throughout the world and has written several books including her most notable work, “Iran Awakening: One Woman’s Journey to Reclaim her Life and Country” (2007) and most recently, “Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human Rights in Iran” (2016). Ebadi lives in the United States and maintains a rigorous itinerary of interviews, public appearances, and human rights advocacy and legal work.
