Iran Demonstrates the Importance of a Human Rights Award

Published November 03, 2009 @ 09:06AM PT

For the first time in the 18-year history of the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, the recipient won’t be allowed by his country to accept the honor in person.

Iranian activist and journalist Emaddedin Baghi has campaigned for years against the death penalty and on behalf of prisoners' rights in his country, and has been sentenced to prison and reprimanded dozens of times for speaking out against Iran's cruel criminal justice system.

Yesterday, Iran prevented him from traveling to receive the human rights award in Geneva. The award is given to human rights advocates who speak out despite considerable risk, and Iran managed to demonstrate the risk under which Baghi works by denying him a travel visa.

The award jury said he Baghi was given the award "for his courage to stand up for his conviction that the Koran condones neither the death penalty nor arbitrary killings and detention." Read more about the award here.

Despite Baghi’s work and increased world awareness of injustice in the country following this year’s contested elections, demonstrations and mass arrests, Iran hasn’t slowed its frenzied pace of executions. A man who accepted responsibility for a suicide bombing was hanged yesterday, bringing the total number of executions so far in Iran this year to 243.

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Comments (2)

Matt, Thank you for posting the story of a courageous man. We need more of people like him in our own country to protect our own rights and freedoms which are being lost daily.

Posted by Camille Tilley on 11/03/2009 @ 10:15AM PT
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I agree. It is not everyday you see someone stand up and campaign against their own government in a certain way. And it is even more incredible when that person repeatedly campaigns even after the government interferes and threatens them. Just to have a little bit of that courage is something I aspire to have one day. Thank you Emaddedin Baghi for your inspiration!

Posted by Caitlin Schmedlin on 11/03/2009 @ 10:50AM PT
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Matt has worked and volunteered in various capacities in criminal justice reform for several years. When he's not blogging, he works as the Online Communications Manager at the Innocence Project. Views expressed here are Matt's, and don't represent the positions of the Innocence Project.