Mahsa Amini and the women’s movement in Iran received the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament on Thursday October 19. The candidacy of “Jina Mahsa Amini and the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran”, supported by the three main political groups in Parliament, was the favorite for this prize, the European Union’s highest distinction for human rights.
Mahsa Amini, an Iranian Kurd arrested by morality police for allegedly violating strict dress rules imposed on women in that country, died in custody on September 16, 2022. The death of the woman in her twenties sparked a vast protest movement in the country, which caused the death of several hundred people and during which thousands of others were arrested.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded annually since 1988 to individuals and organizations defending human rights and fundamental freedoms. It is named after the Soviet physicist and dissident Andrei Sakharov and has a grant of 50,000 euros.