NEWS: Iranian Nobel laureate refuses to obey Revolutionary Court summons, page 1

posted on Jan, 15 2005 @ 09:00 AM

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The first Iranian and Muslim woman to win a Nobel prize, Shirin Ebadi, has indicated that she will not obey a summons to appear before the hardline Revolutionary Court. She cited the fact that the summons failed to indicate why she needed to make an appearance. Her failure to obey the summons could result in her arrest. The U.S. State Department has issued a warning that it is watching the situation. Ebadi, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, is opposed to the hard line regime that the Court represents.

story.news.yahoo.com
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi said Saturday she won't obey a summons by the hard-line Revolutionary Court even though she could be arrested, a challenge to the powerful body that has tried and convicted many intellectuals.

Ebadi, the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel peace prize, received the summons Thursday.

"The manner in which the summons has been arranged is illegal. I won't go to the court," Ebadi told The Associated Press. "A summons has to specify the reason. That summons is issued for somebody without specifying the reason and subject is illegal."

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, one of three lawyers to represent Ebadi if she is charged, said the Revolutionary Court can arrest Ebadi for disregarding the order. Though a reason wasn't specified, Dadkhah said she had been summoned to testify as a witness, not as an accused.

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Interesting development. Iranian hardliners engineered their consolidation of power in last years election and have kept an iron grip on power ever since. What we may be seeing here is the first crack in the hardliners government. She knows that she is now an International figure. Both the EU and the U.S. would not stand by and allow her to be jailed. Sanctions and the like would roll foreword. She may, just may, turn out to be the Iranian Ghandi and take the system down passively. I for one will be watching.

The Vagabond

posted on Jan, 16 2005 @ 01:22 AM

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The courage involved here is amazing. Fighting is easy. Running is easy. For someone to stand their ground in front of this Iranian government is just stunning and beautiful.
If successful this person could touch off a string of civil disobedience which forces Iran to enact minor reforms to avoid revolution.
If she fails, this person will go on my bedroom wall, right next to the "tankman" of Tiananmen Square, and unless the government does an oustanding job of burying the event it is likely they'll see more of this. (I'm sure I'll be swiftly corrected if I'm wrong, but according to articles I've read, many Chinese don't even know about the tank-man.)

I can only hope the Iranian people will take the lead in their own country. I don't want my friends in the Marine Corps going over there to shoot it out with good people. I want to see these people handle matters on their own terms so that they can live in peace on their own terms. Hopefully somebody outside of Iran will give the proper supprot to Shirin Ebadi and those who follow in her footsteps so that we can help these people make political changes without a war.

surfup

posted on Jan, 16 2005 @ 01:30 AM

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She may, just may, turn out to be the Iranian Ghandi and take the system down passively. I for one will be watching.

First of all it says in the article that she has been summoned as a witness not as an accused. Maybe she has just been called to testify against someone she knows. We shouldn't jump to conclusions, until the entire story is revealved.

Second she probably won't become a Iranian *Gandhi* because for one, woman are still considered second place in third world muslim countries. More importantly there is no British to oppose. The fight is within their own people, and their way of life.

A better comparison would have been, well better.

Surf