The BBC carried a report today on the closure by Iranian police of the office of a human rights group led by the Nobel laureate, Shirin Ebadi.
According to the BBC,
"Judiciary officials claimed said the centre was acting as an illegal political party, and had contacts with local and foreign organisations, local media reported.The raid came shortly before the centre was to host a celebration for the 60th anniversary of Human Rights Day.
Ms Ebadi, who has repeatedly criticised Iran's human rights record, said it would not stop her supporters' work."We will meet again somewhere else and will continue to support the rights of activists and political prisoners," she told the Associated Press.
In a statement, the judiciary said it had ordered the closure of the Human Rights Defenders Centre in Tehran because it did not have the required legal permits, the Mehr news agency reported.
It had also been "promoting illegal activities such as issuing statements on different occasions, sending letters to domestic and foreign organisations, holding press conferences, meetings and conferences" which created an atmosphere "of media publicity against the establishment in recent years", the statement added.
Ms Ebadi became the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for work that included promoting the rights of women and children in Iran and worldwide.CNN carried a similar report - see here
According to CNN, "...the center -- which has operated for over five years in Tehran -- "is a member of the International Federation for Human Rights" and "has also been awarded a human rights prize by the Human Rights National Commission in France."
"This center is very well known and credible in Iran," she said in 2006. The Nobel committee has described Ebadi as a champion of human rights who "sees no conflict between Islam and fundamental human rights.
"As a lawyer, judge, lecturer, writer and activist, she has spoken out clearly and strongly in her country, Iran, and far beyond its borders. She has stood up as a sound professional, a courageous person, and has never heeded the threats to her own safety."Time Magazine ran an article in May 2006 entitled, Ten Questions for Shirin Ebadi
Shirin Ebadi's biography is here
