Shirin Ebadi

Under a regime where dissidents and intellectuals often disappeared

or were murdered, Shirin Ebadi, Iran’s first woman judge, showed

enormous courage in spite of death threats, harassment, and

imprisonment.

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In 1948, things were a lot different in Iran than they are now. If she had the brains and
determination, a girl like Shirin Ebadi, born to an educated, well-to-do family, could look
forward to going to university and having a good career. Shirin had plenty of both, and
she grew up to be a lawyer and a judge, the first woman in Iran to ever preside over a
legislative court.
But in 1979, there was a revolution in Iran and very conservative religious leaders took
power. Things were about to get very bad for women, girls, and anyone who spoke up
against the government. The new leaders declared that women should not be judges and
demoted Shirin Ebadi to a secretarial position. She tried fighting the ruling, but
eventually just resigned.
It took years of more fighting before the government would recognize her law degree and
let her practice as a lawyer. By that time, Ebadi was angry - she was angry over the way
she had been dealt with, and the way that all women and children were being treated in
Iran.
Despite the dangers of opposing the government (people who protested were often
arrested or simply disappeared), Ebadi set out to fight for justice and equality. She wrote
books and articles, fought to change the legal status of women and children, took on