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Malaysia bans Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi from taking the floor at a forum organised by the civil society

Paris – Geneva, October 14, 2008. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), expresses its deepest concern over the obstacles to freedom of expression against Ms. Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Secretary General of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), following pressures exercised by the Iranian authorities.

Ms. Shirin Ebadi had been invited by the International Peace Foundation, the University of Malaysia, the International Islamic University and the Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute to deliver a series of public lectures between November 1 and 8, 2008 in Malaysia's universities and research centres in the framework of the "Bridges – Dialogues towards a Culture of Peace" forum, in agreement with the relevant authorities. However, pressured by the Iranian authorities, the Malaysian Foreign Ministry finally instructed local organisers to withdraw the invitation to "preserve good bilateral relations with Iran". On September 24, 2008, Ms. Shirin Ebadi was informed that she would not be allowed to speak at the public events in Malaysia.

The Observatory deplores the reaction of both the Malaysian Government and the organisers, which contradicts the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations on December 9, 1998.

The Observatory further highlights that this ban follows a harsh slandering campaign in the government media, in particular the Iranian Republic News Agency and the newspaper Jomhouri Eslami[1] as well as death threats addressed against Ms. Ebadi on April 5, 2008[2]. Therefore, the Observatory will continue to closely follow the situation of Ms. Shirin Ebadi, which sadly confirms the silencing faced by human rights defenders in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Observatory further calls upon the Iranian authorities to put an end to any acts of harassment against all Iranian human rights defenders and to conform with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Topics: Freedom of expression, Human rights activists,