An Iranian Nobel laureate will accept an award from a Government-financed human rights organisation in a move that is likely to ramp up the the Islamic Republic’s “propaganda” machine against the UK and further strain relations between the two countries.
The Times has learnt that Shirin Ebadi — the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize for championing human rights and campaigning for democracy in Iran — will be presented with the award today by an organisation which annually receives £1.6 million, the bulk of its budget, from the Department of International Development (DFID).
International Services, a York-based development agency which helps disadvantaged people in places such as the Middle East and claims to be “non-political”, will present Dr Ebadi with the Award for Global Defence of Human Rights.
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This comes after Dr Ebadi, 62, who has spent the past six months away from Iran attacking the regime’s alleged human rights abuses and electoral fraud, recently had her 2003 Nobel peace medal confiscated by the Iranian Government and her bank account frozen on the claim that she owes £250,000 in tax.
Baroness Haleh Afshar, president of International Services, said she anticipated the Iranian regime — which has been condemned by its detractors worldwide for its human rights record — to attack Dr Ebadi for accepting the award from what it often claims as its “enemy” Great Britain. “I am sure that they will play it for all it’s worth because at the moment Britain is identified as the enemy and therefore anybody that a British organisation celebrates is seen as allying themselves,” Iranian-born Baroness Afshar said.
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That the non-monetary award will be presented at the House of Lords will further invite criticism that it is a calculated British Government initiative to attack Iran, experts say.
Alireza Nourizadeh of the Centre for Arab and Iranian Studies research body said: “This particular prize, because it’s going to be presented in the House of Lords, may give the regime a little bit more of a chance to be more harsh and to attack her.”
Dr Nourizadeh, who claims to be a close friend of Dr Ebadi, said the Iranian regime would draw ammunition for propagating and entertaining “conspiracy theories” from the fact that the award is given by a government financed organisation.
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“When they know that this is an organisation which receives support from the Government, they will look at it as another attempt by the British Government to put pressure on the regime and help the other side,” he said.
A DFID spokesman said that International Services was “independent and non-governmental”.
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Baroness Afshar, who has for years campaigned against any Western interference in Iranian affairs, said that the award should not be interpreted as a political statement by her organisation against the regime.
“This is wrong to be perceived as a political statement because it is a celebration of a success of a lawyer in the context of Iranian law in Iran,” she said. “It doesn’t actually criticise the system.”
Dr Ebadi told The Times through a spokeswoman last night that she considered the award to be an attack against the regime’s suppression of activism. “This prize condemns the function of the Iranian Government. This kind of award has been awarded to the activists because of recognition of their activities. But, Iranian Government has put more restrictions on me for my activities.” Dr Ebadi insisted that the award would not further impact on British-Iranian relations.
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Baroness Afshar admitted that the image of the little-known eight-year-old award would be enhanced after it is received by Dr Ebadi, but insisted that was not the motive for presenting it to the activist. “We are much more concerned about (recognising) people than being recognised,” she said. “But I mean of course we’re going to like to be recognised, but it’s not the particular purpose.”
The Iranian regime has desperately, but unsuccessfully, tried to silence Dr Ebadi by closing down her Centre for the Defence of Human Rights in Tehran, beaten her husband, imprisoned some of her colleagues and threatened her with death.