Strasbourg 19.10.2023 Today MEPs have awarded the 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement from Iran.

https://x.com/EP_President/status/1714945388631699689?s=20

European Parliament president Roberta Metsola announced the 2023 laureate in the Strasbourg plenary chamber, following a decision taken by Parliament’s Conference of Presidents.

While making the announcement madame president said : 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. We stand with those who, even from prison, continue to keep Women, Life and Freedom alive. By choosing them as laureates for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought 2023, this House remembers their struggle and continues to honour all those who have paid the ultimate price for liberty.ʺ

Jina Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman. She was arrested by police in Tehran on 13 September 2022 for allegedly ignoring Iran’s strict veiling laws, and died in a Tehran hospital three days later following physical abuse while in custody.
Her violent death sparked massive women-led protests in Iran. Under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”, they have been protesting against the hijab law and other discriminatory laws.

Following the Iranian regime’s brutal crackdown on these protests, the European Parliament has repeatedly condemned the critical human rights situation in the country.

In October 2022, MEPs called for sanctions against Iranian officials involved in both Jina Mahsa Amini’s death and the regime’s repressions, and expressed their unequivocal support for the peaceful protest movement in Iran.

In January 2023, MEPs demanded additional sanctions against the Iranian regime, and furthermore they called the EU to place the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps on its terrorist list.