During her recent visit to Oslo, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi welcomed the opportunity to write a letter of endorsement to the Human Rights House Network. Her letter concludes: -I wish good luck and success for all of those who work for the Human Rights House Network and endorse their activities. The success of the HRH Network is our success. (24-SEP-07)

Based on Ebadi´s letter, this article has been prepared for publication by HRH F / Niels Jacob Harbitz. Photo of Ebadi: HRH F / Harbitz.

Ebadi´s full letter reads:

Shirin Ebadi
Attorney at Law

September 16, 2007

I, Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2003, am a human rights defender. In my country, human rights defenders are constantly harassed by the government. I personally have been confined to prison for one of the cases hat I have defended. My very good colleagues, Messers Nasser Zarafshan, Abdolfattah Soltani and Mohammad Ali Dadkhah have also been imprisoned by the government in the recet years for having defended political and ideological defendants. At the present time a number of journalists and human rights defenders are in prison.

Approximately five years ago, me and a few of my colleagues founded the Center for Defense of Human Rights. This Center is non-governmental and non-profit.

Our mission is to provide pro bono defense for political and ideological defendants and prepare quarterly reports on the status of Human Rights in Iran. However, the Islamic Republic of Iran has failed to register our center contrary to the laws that have been passed by the same government and continues to harass the center. We also continue to perform our duties although we are not registered.

In light of the above, the Human Rights House Network can be very effective in supporting our mission. Through the Human Rights House Network we can convey news of human rights violations in Iran to the rest of the world and we can also reflect the problems that human rights defenders face. We have found our friends and supporters and will work with more confidence in the future. I wish good luck and success for all those who work for the Human Rights House Network and endorse their activities. The success of the Human Rights House Network is our success.

Sign.
Shirin Ebadi
Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, 2003