Shadi Sadr facts for kids
Shadi Sadr (Persian: شادی صدر; born in 1974) is a brave Iranian lawyer, human rights champion, writer, and journalist. She is known for her important work in defending people's rights. In 2010, she helped start an organization called Justice for Iran (JFI), where she is now the Executive Director. She has shared her knowledge and spoken about human rights all over the world.
Shadi Sadr has received many special awards for her work, including the Human Rights Tulip. She also received the Alexander Prize from Santa Clara University's Law School. Because of her activism, she faced challenges and was held for a short time in Evin prison in 2007 and 2009. In 2010, she faced legal consequences for her work.
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Education and Early Work
Shadi Sadr studied law at Tehran University. She earned a bachelor's degree in law and a master's degree in international law in 1999. Even before she went to university, she was already working as a journalist. She wrote for youth magazines, as well as other journals and newspapers.
She worked as a human rights lawyer in Iran until 2009. During this time, she also created and led Raahi, a center that offered legal advice to women who needed help. In 2007, the Iranian authorities closed Raahi. Shadi Sadr also started a website called Women In Iran in 2002. This website was dedicated to supporting women's rights activists. She was also a founding member of a group called Women’s Field (Meydaan-e-Zanan). This group started several campaigns, including one to allow women to enter sports stadiums. While in Iran, she was held in prison several times. She later moved to Europe in 2009, where she helped create the human rights organization Justice for Iran.
Her Important Work
As an expert on human rights in Iran, Shadi Sadr has led many campaigns and organizations. These groups work to stop human rights violations and unfair practices by the government.
As a practicing lawyer, Shadi Sadr successfully defended several women activists and journalists in court. These women had faced very serious sentences. She is one of the Iranians who has campaigned to stop the practice of capital punishment by stoning, especially for women. This campaign is known as Stop Stoning Forever. It is one of several campaigns started by Women's Field, a women's rights group she was part of. A documentary called Women in Shroud shows this part of Shadi Sadr's life. It has been shown at human rights film festivals around the world.
After the 2003 Bam earthquake, she helped organize a relief effort. She collected food and supplies for women and children in the area of Bam. Sadr also defended several human rights defenders in court. One of them was Shiva Nazar Ahari, a member of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters.
In 2010, Shadi Sadr and Shadi Amin started a new organization called Justice for Iran (JFI). This group works to end the idea that officials in the Islamic Republic of Iran can harm their citizens without facing consequences. JFI aims to hold these officials responsible for their actions.
As the Executive Director of Justice for Iran (JFI), Shadi Sadr has guided many research projects. These projects look into serious violations of rights for different groups of people. This includes ethnic and religious minorities, LGBT individuals, women, and people who are treated unfairly because of their political beliefs.
Shadi Sadr also served as a judge for important international tribunals. These included the 2015 International People’s Tribunal on crimes in Indonesia and the 2017 People's Tribunal on Myanmar.
Challenges and Detentions
Shadi Sadr was one of 33 women arrested in March 2007. They had gathered peacefully outside a Tehran courtroom. They were protesting the trial of five women who were accused of "acting against the system" and "participating in an illegal demonstration." This was related to a demonstration in 2006 that supported women's rights. Sadr was held for fifteen days in Evin Prison before she was released on bail.
On July 17, 2009, Shadi Sadr faced rough treatment by individuals in plain clothes. She was taken away while heading toward Tehran University. She was participating in a protest after the 2009 Presidential election. She was walking with other women activists when people in civilian clothes approached her. They refused to say who they were or why they were taking her. They forced her into a waiting car. After she briefly escaped, her friends were held back as she was forced back into the car. She was taken to an unknown place. She was released 11 days later, on July 28, 2009.
In May 2010, she faced legal consequences while she was not present in court. She was accused of "acting against national security and harming public order."
Her Writings
Shadi Sadr has written several works, including:
- From painkillers to cures Routledge, 2019 doi:10.4324/9780429244674-13
- Pushed back to square one, 2011. ISSN 1551-2681
A book about Shadi Sadr, titled Sadr, Shadi (1974–), was written by Dr. Elaheh Rostami-Povey in 2008. ISBN: 978-1-4144-1888-9
Awards and Recognition
Shadi Sadr has received many awards for her courage and dedication:
- In 2004, she received the Ida B. Wells Award for Bravery in Journalism from Women's eNews.
- In 2009, she shared a special prize created by Lech Wałęsa. He was the famous leader of the Polish "Solidarity" movement and a Nobel Peace Prize winner.
- She also received a Dutch human rights award, the Human Rights Defenders Tulip, on November 9, 2009.
- In 2010, Sadr received the Alexander Prize from the Law School of Santa Clara University. This was for her "endless dedication to supporting Iranian women and risking her freedom to defend those who are wrongly accused and imprisoned."
- Also in 2010, she was given the International Women of Courage Award by US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. She chose not to attend the ceremony and instead dedicated the award to Shiva Nazar Ahari.
- She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 women in 2013.
- In 2018, Sadr was honored at the 5th Annual Harvard Law International Women’s Day Portrait Exhibit.
See also
In Spanish: Shadi Sadr para niños
- Nooshin Ahmadi Khorasani
- Shadi Amin
- Parvin Ardalan
- Iranian women's movement
