Nasrin Sotoudeh wins Council of Europe Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize

Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been awarded the Council of Europe’s Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize. The award recognizes her long-standing advocacy for women's rights, her opposition to the death penalty, and her defense of activists, journalists, and religious minorities despite facing repeated arrests and imprisonment.

Sotoudeh, who was released on bail in May following an arrest in April, accepted the prize via a video message from Tehran. She stated, “one day, the sun of freedom will shine upon our country as well.” Due to her presence in Iran, her daughter, Mehraveh Khandan Heris, traveled to Strasbourg to accept the award on her behalf.

Sotoudeh was selected from three finalists, which included Iranian-American activist Masih Alinejad and Hungarian human rights lawyer Marta Pardavi. The prize includes a 60,000 euro grant. Sotoudeh has previously received the Sakharov Prize from the European Parliament in 2012.