The United States has also criticized the harassment and said such actions were part of an “increasingly hostile campaign” that targeted activists. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack urged Iran’s government to abide by its human rights commitments and obligations.
On January 1, approximately 150 Iranian protesters spray-painted slogans on Ebadi’s home, chanted death threats and accused her of supporting Israel’s Gaza offensive.
The demonstration was the third time in 11 days that Iranian authorities or hardline groups close to the government have moved against the human rights lawyer. On Monday, December 29, police raided her private law office, seizing computers and her clients’ confidential documents. A spokesperson for Iranian authorities has dismissed claims that Ebadi is threatened and reassured the international community that there is no reason to be concerned for her security.
On December 21, authorities closed Ebadi’s human rights center. Iran’s judiciary says the closure is not permanent and that the center can re-open once the group obtains the correct permit.
Ebadi is Iran’s leading human rights activist and the first Muslim woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize. She was awarded the honor in 2003 for her years of legal work on behalf of Iranian political activists, religious and ethnic minorities, women and children. In the years since, she has endured repeated death threats from radical groups and regular government intimidation.
