Petition to Protest the Closure of Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi's Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran

We, the undersigned, protest the closure of the Center for the Defense of Human Rights (CDHR) in Iran, which was jointly set up by Nobel Peace Laureate Shirin Ebadi and Abdolfattah Soltani in 2001. We also protest the ruling that the office has been deemed as illegal due to the lack of a permit. The CDHR does not need a permit, because under the Iranian constitution, nongovernmental organizations that obey the law and do not disturb the public order are not required to obtain one.

Having a nongovernmental organization like the CDHR is critical and essential for society to protect the innocent and speak for those that are not capable of properly representing themselves in court, and therefore, are vulnerable to misinterpretation in a legal system. We have a duty to ensure that all individuals are given a fair opportunity to present their defense to the courts of law as best as possible, and we believe that the Center for the Defense of Human Rights in Iran enables the people to strive towards this goal. We strongly urge the Iranian governmental branches that are responsible, to consider an annulment of this order.