This year’s Sakharov Prize from the EU Parliament goes posthumously to the Iranian Jina Mahsa Amini and the protest movement, especially among women in Iran, that was triggered by her death. The then 22-year-old Amini was arrested by Islamic moral watchdogs in 2022 because she allegedly did not wear her headscarf properly. A short time later, while in police custody, the young woman fell into a coma and died. What exactly happened remains unclear to this day. Amini’s parents early on expressed doubts about the state’s claim that their daughter had died as a result of an illness. According to her family, the maltreatment by the moral police was the cause. The Iranian authorities reject this. Amini’s death led to massive protests in Iran, especially by women, who demonstrated against the hijab law and other discriminatory regulations under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” “The brutal murder of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini was a turning point. It sparked a women-led movement that is making history,” said Parliament Speaker Roberta Metsola at the awards ceremony in Strasbourg.
The Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, also known as the EU Human Rights Prize, has been awarded by the European Parliament since 1988 to individuals or organizations committed to the defense of human rights and freedom of expression. The prize is endowed with 50,000 euros.