The Sakharov Prize rewards two Iranian dissidents

The filmmaker Jafar Panahi and lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh sentenced to heavy penalties in their country, were appointed Friday by the European Parliament. It is a nudge to free thinkers of Iran, under increased pressure from the repression of demonstrations in the summer of 2009. In awarding this Friday, the Sakharov Prize "for freedom of the mind" to Nasrin Sotoudeh and Jafar Panahi, the European Parliament wanted to salute the bravery of these two Iranian dissidents. "We need to support these individuals against a state that has no respect for fundamental freedoms. That price is also not very clear to the Iranian regime, "was quick to declare Parliament President Martin Schulz at the end of the announcement. After making headlines in the international press, the "green wave" Persian born disputed reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was quickly overtaken by the winds of protest Arab Spring. However, neither the mass arrests of opponents, nor the repeated threats against their families have begun identifying supporters Iranian democratic change. Timidly courageously through letters written behind bars in Evin prison or films pieced together in a private room, the lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh and filmmaker Jafar Panahi has become the emblem of this "silent revolution" continues to challenge the regime in Tehran.

Hunger-strike

At 47 years, Nasrin Sotoudeh is serving a sentence of six years in prison for "endangering state security." In fact, it was his determination to defend prisoners of conscience and activists of human rights that the Iranian authorities are trying to make him pay. Proof of his courage, and despite serious concerns over his health, has recently started a new hunger strike to protest against his conditions of detention and the prohibition of visits from her children. Jafar Panahi, 52, was sentenced to six years in prison in December 2010 for having shown his support for Ahmadinejad's main rival, Mousavi. Released on bail, he was struck by a banned from leaving Iranian territory and making films in his country. Many restrictions that it is discreetly accommodated by making last year, a feature within the four walls of his apartment Tehran.Entitled "This is not a movie," his films made then travel to France on a USB key hidden in a cake to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The Sakharov Prize announcement comes on the eve of a controversial trip by a delegation of MEPs from the left, from 27 October to 2 November, with the Iranian Parliament. According to Martin Schulz, this visit is not only the agenda, but it will also allow visitors to take the letters of congratulations to the winners of the Sakharov Prize. "If the Iranian authorities prevented a meeting with the winners of the European Parliament delegates immediately interrupt their journey and leave Iran," he warned.