Iranian Nobel Laureate Wins Manhae Prize
By Ines Min
Contributing Writer
Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi will receive the Manhae Peace Prize on Wednesday at Baekdam Temple in Seoul for her contributions in bringing democracy and equality to Iran, the Manhae Foundation said Monday.
Ebadi, who arrived here Saturday, urged the Iranian government to release detainees held after fierce demonstrations denouncing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's re-election in June.
``Iran and the people of Iran will realize that the world is not disinterested in the human rights situation of the country,'' Ebadi wrote in a letter to the Manhae Foundation.
At a press conference on Sunday, she said the President must ``listen to the people's voice.''
In 2003, Ebadi became the first Iranian to receive a Nobel Peace Price for her work protecting women, children and refugees' rights. The lawyer and former judge founded the country's leading human rights organization, the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was shut down by the government in 2008.
``I hope my organization will be able to open its office again thanks to the Manhae Prize,'' Ebadi said. ``Without a doubt, the prize will help me promote democratic culture and improve the state of human rights in Iran.''
The Nobel laureate acknowledged the difficult inter-Korean struggle in her letter, noting that war and peace are global matters that must be fought for by everyone. ``South Korea's roles in peace talks with North Korea deserve particular praise,'' she said.
In the years after earning the Nobel, Ebadi has spent time traveling, lecturing at universities and representing discriminated individuals in court. She has published several books and articles on human rights matters.
The Manhae Prize was created to recognize individuals who encourage ideals matching the Korean poet's philosophies of peace and democracy. Manhae is a penname for Han Yong-woon, who famously resisted the Japanese in the years leading up to the occupation. He became a Buddhist monk at Baekdam Temple in 1905 and his poems are still loved by many Koreans.
The foundation awards the Manhae Prize annually in a variety of categories, such as peace, academic excellence, art and literature. Among the past winners of the prize are the Dalai Lama, Nelson Mandela and former President Kim Dae-jung.
``Mankind's destiny is a complex and tangled web,'' Ebadi said. ``You can't know about mankind's happiness as it is or take it from others. We must share a destiny of hope with others.''