Nobel laureate calls on Iran to release dissidents

IRANIAN Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi called yesterday for the immediate release of jailed dissidents in the Islamic Republic and insisted that human rights were not incompatible with Islam.

The human rights lawyer’s Nobel win has ignited fierce debate in Iran with hardliners labelling her a political stooge of the West, while pro-reform activists hail her as a symbol of the fight for greater democracy and freedom in Iran.

“I wish for the release of all political prisoners and jailed journalists, as soon as possible,” Ms Ebadi told a news conference the day after returning to Iran to an emotional reception from supporters.