ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Zhina (Mahsa) Amini, the young Kurdish woman killed at the hands of Iran’s morality police last year, was awarded on Thursday this year’s prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament.
Since 1988 when the prize was first awarded to Nelson Mandela and Anatoli Larchenko, to 2022, when the people of Ukraine represented by their president, elected leaders, and civil society brought home the win, the Sakharov prize has recognized the work of free thinkers in a variety of fields, including politics, journalism, law, activism and art.
Twenty-two-year-old Kurdish woman Amini died while in police custody on September 16, 2022 after being arrested for allegedly wearing a lax hijab. Her death sparked Iran’s longest protest movement in the past four decades. Protesters chanting “Jin Jiyan Azadi” (Woman Life Freedom) called for greater freedoms for women, but the movement grew into an anti-government revolution as the authorities responded with violence. Hundreds of people were killed and thousands were arrested.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola announced Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran as 2023 Sakharov laureates in the plenary chamber in Strasbourg on Thursday.
ʺOn 16 September we marked one year since the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini in Iran. The European Parliament proudly stands with the brave and defiant who continue to fight for equality, dignity and freedom in Iran,” said Metsola, adding that “We stand with those who, even from prison, continue to keep Women, Life and Freedom alive.”
President Metsola noted that by choosing Amini and the movement as laureates, the European Parliament “remembers their struggle and continues to honour all those who have paid the ultimate price for liberty.ʺ
This year, and days after the anniversary of her death, the European People’s Party, the Socialists and Democrats, and Renew Europe all announced their choice to nominate Amini in a joint meeting hosted by the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the Subcommittee on Human Rights and the Committee on Development.The final selection of the winner was made by Metsola in conjunction with the leaders of all the political groups represented in the Parliament.
French President Emmanuel Macron commented the announcement of the award on X, formerly Twitter, saying that "The Sakharov Prize is a powerful reminder of Europe's commitment to freedom. It goes today to Mahsa Amini and to all Iranian women who are courageously fighting for their rights."
Leyla Zana, the first Kurdish woman to be elected to the Turkish Parliament in 1991, became the first Kurdish Sakharov laureate in 1995.
On Thursday, Amini followed in her footsteps.
Other nominations for the 2023 Sakharov Prize included Afghan education activists, the pro-European people of Georgia and Nino Lomjaria, the country’s former Public Defender, Elon Musk, Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate, Nicaraguan human rights defender Vilma Núnez de Escorcia and Monsignor Rolando Jose Alvarez Lagos, and women fighting for free, safe and legal abortion.
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