Current:Home > StocksThe late Mahsa Amini is named a finalist for the EU’s top human rights prize -Clarity Finance Guides
The late Mahsa Amini is named a finalist for the EU’s top human rights prize
View
Date:2025-04-24 23:23:29
BRUSSELS (AP) — Mahsa Amini, the 22-year-old Kurdish-Iranian woman who died in police custody in Iran last year, sparking worldwide protests against the country’s conservative Islamic theocracy, has been named a finalist for the European Union’s top human rights prize.
The European Parliament on Thursday announced the three finalists for this year’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, including Amini and “the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran.”
The selection was “in recognition of their brave effort to stand up for women’s rights,” said David McAllister, the chair of the foreign affairs committee at the EU Parliament.
Amini died on Sept. 16, 2022, after she was arrested for allegedly violating Iran’s mandatory headscarf law.
The other nominees are Vilma Nunez de Escorcia and Roman Catholic Bishop Rolando Álvarez — two emblematic figures in the fight for the defense of human rights in Nicaragua — and a trio of women from Poland, El Salvador and the United States leading a fight for “free, safe and legal abortion.”
Amini died three days after she was arrested by Iran’s morality police, allegedly for violating laws that require women to cover their hair in public. While authorities said she suffered a heart attack, Amini’s supporters said she was beaten by police and died as a result of her injuries.
Her death triggered protests that spread across the country and rapidly escalated into calls for the overthrow of Iran’s four-decade-old Islamic theocracy.
Authorities responded with a violent crackdown in which more than 500 people were killed and over 22,000 others were detained, according to rights groups. The demonstrations largely died down early this year, but there are still widespread signs of discontent. For several months, women could be seen openly flaunting the headscarf rule in Tehran and other cities, prompting a renewed crackdown over the summer.
The EU award, named for Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, was created in 1988 to honor individuals or groups who defend human rights and fundamental freedoms. Sakharov, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died in 1989.
The winner will be announced on Oct. 19.
veryGood! (6923)
Related
- The Super Bowl could end in a 'three
- Forced kiss claim leads to ‘helplessness’ for accuser who turned to Olympics abuse-fighting agency
- Donald Trump says he will be in courtroom for New York trial scrutinizing his business practices
- Where poor air quality is expected in the US this week
- Tree trimmer dead after getting caught in wood chipper at Florida town hall
- Pakistani Taliban attack a police post in eastern Punjab province killing 1 officer
- Why Kris Jenner Made Corey Gamble Turn Down Role in Yellowstone
- A fight over precious groundwater in a rural California town is rooted in carrots
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- AL West title, playoff seeds, saying goodbye: What to watch on MLB's final day of season
Ranking
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Donald Trump says he will be in courtroom for New York trial scrutinizing his business practices
- ‘PAW Patrol’ shows bark at box office while ‘The Creator’ and ‘Dumb Money’ disappoint
- NASCAR Talladega playoff race 2023: Start time, TV, streaming, lineup for YellaWood 500
- Meta releases AI model to enhance Metaverse experience
- Chicago is keeping hundreds of migrants at airports while waiting on shelters and tents
- ‘PAW Patrol’ shows bark at box office while ‘The Creator’ and ‘Dumb Money’ disappoint
- It's not just FTX's Sam Bankman-Fried. His parents also face legal trouble
Recommendation
All That You Wanted to Know About She’s All That
It's only fitting Ukraine gets something that would have belonged to Russia
Fueled by hat controversy Europe win Ryder Cup to extend USA's overseas losing streak
Bay Area Subway franchises must pay $1 million for endangering children, stealing checks
Backstage at New York's Jingle Ball with Jimmy Fallon, 'Queer Eye' and Meghan Trainor
Ukraine aid left out of government funding package, raising questions about future US support
Valentino returns to Paris’ Les Beaux-Arts with modern twist; Burton bids farewell at McQueen
Why New York’s Curbside Composting Program Will Yield Hardly Any Compost