Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, holds a press conference on the Sakharov Prize 2023 before the ceremony. This year, the award goes to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Woman, Life, Freedom Movement in Iran. Jina Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, who died in September 2022, following physical abuse at the hands of the Iranian security services, while in custody. Her death sparked massive women-led protests in Iran against the hijab law and other discriminatory laws. This transcription is a result of an automatic process. Please check against delivery. Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar representing Jina Mahsa Amini and Woman, Life, Freedom Movement and Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini

Strasbourg

press conference

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

president's agenda

Sakharov Prize for freedom of thought 2023 (T)

Press conference by Roberta METSOLA, EP President and Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar representing Jina Mahsa Amini and Woman, Life, Freedom Movement and Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini on the Sakharov Prize 2023

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Good morning to you all. Let me start by addressing those who should be here today. The parents and brother of Jina Mahsa Amini. They were banned by the Iranian authorities from travelling to Strasbourg today to honour the memory of their lost daughter and sister. Miss Masha Amini gave her life for women's rights and freedoms in Iran, and we grieve with her family. Saleh Nikbakht, the lawyer who was defending Jina from the day she was arrested, represents the family today.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, The 2023 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought has been awarded to Jina Mahsa Amini and the Women Life for Freedom movement in Iran. A spontanious uprising born out of Jina's violent death at the hands of the morality police of Iran, a protest movement in response to the repressive legislation and systematic discriminatory policies against women in Iran. This year's Sakharov Prize serves as a tribute to all the brave and defiant women, men and young people in Iran who, despite coming under increasing pressure, are continuing the push for change.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, Women like Afsoon Najafi and Mersedeh Shahinkar, who are with us today to accept the prize on behalf of the Women, Life, Freedom, movement, women who have been forced to leave their country to be able to continue their fight for truth and for justice. Women who have been subjected to threats and harassment and sentenced in absentia. Women who are here still standing strong, who stand up for equality, for dignity, for freedom in Iran.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, The European Parliament hears you and supports you. We have adopted four resolutions over the last year condemning the Iranian regime's unacceptable attempts to silence protesters and demanding sanctions against officials involved in the protesters repression. Do you and all the unknown and the numerous so many women who dared to start a revolution? You are not alone. We are with you. We now give the floor to the winners of the Sakharov Prize.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Saleh NIKBAKHT, lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, I am in the European Parliament. And also Mrs. Metsola's statement. And this is an honour for us. Also, the majority of the European people support people of Iran. With your permission, the journalist and the fact that I am a lawyer and I need to return to Iran, thus I am very cautious and careful about what I say

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Saleh NIKBAKHT, lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, There was a time that like yourself, I used to be a journalist. During the 1969 1970 lunar calendar, I worked for a journal in Iran. We see that we have freedom of expression, but we do not have freedom of expression after that. Therefore, I ask my fellow journalists if they have any questions regarding the legality of the file, you can ask me. And as aforementioned, some of our journalists would like to speak in our own language, and I have to take certain things to Iran. Therefore, I hope you understand my situation.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Saleh NIKBAKHT, lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, Greetings to you. Dear, dear ladies and gentlemen, I'm the sister, sister of the victim, and I'm also a member of the victims. I do not want anything similar that has happened. Therefore, I would like to take this opportunity and mention the suffering that Iranians are going through. Islamic Republic has mentioned that more than 90,000 protesters have been released. However, there are many others who are suffering and tortured.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Saleh NIKBAKHT, lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, The Islamic Republic, by putting pressure on Iranian people, they do not let them do anything. We do not know about their situation and following their convictions. Then we realise what has been happening. Thousands of prisoners that we do not know about and with their help they try to help. The Islamic Republic, regarding civil rights activists, human rights activists and other opponents have been imprisoned by them.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Afsoon NAJAFI, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, Dear Sir and ladies, that you can listen to me. Today the time has come that the politicians to stop supporting them and not to shake their hands. One knows about what has been happening the tear gas, rifles attack and all the apparatus of attacking. They are all happening there. And here I'm here as a plaintiff, someone who is demanding, I'm standing up and telling you that the future will belong to the people of Iran.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Afsoon NAJAFI, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, And I would like to mention these things about the torture and the persecution and would finish my words. However, Women, Life Liberation. God bless them.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, Good morning to you all. Ladies and gentlemen, before everything, I would like to thank you for the opportunity for the freedom of women and the struggle of the Iranian people for their freedom. This is after 500 people have been killed and 180 people have been lost their sites in Iran and thousands of Iranians who have been imprisoned and have been tortured. Iranian regime for has at least executed eight people in the name of this movement.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, We are standing here on behalf of all the women, and we are tired of the regime of Iran. I myself and I am a fitness instructor. I lost my eyesight. I've got a 11 year old daughter. I continue my struggle and people like me. We have chosen to fight against the Islamic regime and to struggle against them. But I am a strong enough to stand strong and to express myself as strongly and let the world know that I and the people of Iran, we are imprisoned in Iran for the past 44 years, that subject of killings.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, And we are hoping and this hope has been in us and it's been a light now since this movement. We have the right to live. We like the women of other countries in the world. We seek freedom. We want equality of gender, either women, of Iranians. We are deprived of our basic human rights. Look at my right eye, look at the grave of the lost and that people look at the people in my country. We are the opposition. We are the people.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, The Islamic Republic looks at us, others as slaves, and we are not going to sit back. We want the freedom. We want to stop the executions. We stopped our imprisonment from the sixties up until now so that Jina, those who have sacrificed their lives and those who have lost their sight, their bodies, they've become disabled in these protests. Their rights should be given to them. We are standing here on behalf of Iranian people. You have given this prize to the people who have lost their children, those who have not been able to see the children and they don't know where the graves of their children are.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, So I am a mother on behalf of mothers. You are parents yourselves. You are mothers and fathers. Just close your eyes for one moment and imagine that a government has killed your child and is made you silent. And where will you shout where you strength scream for justice? I am from the country where different racial groups live in Iran. We have the right in our country. I today I extend my hand to you for the support, to stand by the Iranian people, to stand by Jina's family, to stand for those who are seeking justice.

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Mersedeh Shahinkar, representing Woman, Life, Freedom Movement, Islamic Republic is not representative of the Iranian people and I and people who protests are the sound and the voices of Iranian people. We are being subjected to the oppression of 44 years of governments oppression, and we are standing and shouting on behalf of those who have died and who are struggling on behalf of Iranian people.

Q&A, Question on the critics the EU institutions have received from people from Iran, and also asking Mr. coomanjbedkjbk to give a message to EU institutions.

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, EP President, -

SOUNDBITE (Persian), Saleh NIKBAKHT, lawyer of the family of Jina Mahsa Amini, -

Q&A, Question about the fact that children of top leaders of the regime can have luxury lifes outside Iran instead of staying in their country.

Q&A, Question about the existance of a plan to help protesters that are in risk of deportation. -