SHIRIN EBADI TO BE PROTECTED BY THE GOVERNMENT
PARIS 6 Nov. (IPS) Under growing messages and letters of threats against the
life of Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian lawyer who won the 2003 Nobel Peace
Prize, the Iranian government has decided to give her a personal bodyguard and a
chauffeured car, Radio Farda (Tomorrow), the Persian service of the Prague-based
Radio Free Europe-Radio Liberty said Thursday.
Quoting friends and relatives of Mrs. Ebadi, the Radio, monitored in Paris, said the demand for providing protection to the Nobel Peace laureate had been presented to the Interior Ministry by the Centre of Iranian Lawyers for Human Rights after she received more threatening letters, messages and e-mails.
Though the messages are anonymous, yet many Iranian political observers and experts are on the strong opinion that they emanate from hard line groups controlled by the ruling Iranian conservatives who continue to express their anger at the prestigious award being bestowed to Mrs. Ebadi, an indefatigable human rights campaigner calling for the equality of men and women, a struggle fiercely opposed by Iranian orthodox ayatollahs.
This is the first time that the Nobel Academy of Norway gives its much-praised award to a Muslim woman from Iran. But the conservatives, in their first reaction, said the Academy had acted under pressures from the United States and Zionist circles.
Contrary to the conservatives, the reformers had reserved a lukewarm welcome for Mrs. Ebadi.
But Hojjatoleslam Mohammad Khatami, the Iranian President the western press routinely describes him as "moderate" said the Peace Prize was not an important award, since it was usually given on political grounds.
His comments infuriated many Iranians, but also several of his closest aides, including his younger brother, Dr. Mohammad Reza Khatami, who, as the leader of the nation’s largest political organization, in a statement, dissociated himself from the comments.
However, in a speech at the Majles last week, Mrs. Ebadi defended the lamed President and said if she would have been asked, she would give the award to Mr. Khatami.
Quoting Mr. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a member of the Centre of Iranian Lawyers for Human Rights, of which Mrs. Ebadi is also a member, she has received several letters threatening her life.
A crowd estimated between 10.000 to 50.000, most of them young girls and women had rushed to the Airport to greet Mrs. Ebadi on her return to Tehran on 14 October. ENDS EBADI PROTECTION 61103