December 30, 2008
No. 253
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement regarding the raid on the private office of Shirin Ebadi in Tehran, Iran.
“Canada is seriously concerned about yesterday’s raid and seizure of files and computers from the private office of Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi. This action follows the December 21 closing of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran, headed by Ms. Ebadi. Winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, Ms. Ebadi has a long and proud history as an advocate for human rights, and the raid appears to be part of an effort to impede the important work being done by her and other Iranian human rights defenders.
“Canada continues to urge Iran to fully respect all of its human rights obligations, both in law and in practice, and to end the apparent targeting of human rights advocates like Ms. Ebadi. Canada stands in solidarity with individuals such as Ms. Ebadi who courageously advocate for the human rights of the people of Iran.”
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