Iran’s Ebadi Says Islamic Republic "Can’t Be Reformed"

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi has made a stirring speech at the European Parliament for a regime change in her country, which has been swept by more than five months of protests against the clerical establishment.

Addressing MEPs during a March 15 ceremony marking International Women’s Day, Ebadi emphasized that the Islamic Republic "cannot be reformed" and that protesters are demanding fundamental changes.

She called for a new constitutional that would allow wide ranging reform to take place.

Her reference to the "Woman, Life, Freedom" protest movement was met with applause from the audience.

Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Union Commission, praised Ebadi's work for democracy and human rights, and hailed the courage of Iranian women, saying that their struggle serves as an “inspiration to women around the world.”

Women have been at the forefront of the nationwide protests triggered by the September 2022 death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, in police custody. Amini had been arrested for allegedly wearing the mandatory headscarf improperly.

The security forces have unleashed a brutal clampdown on the protest movement, killing more than 520 protesters and unlawfully detaining over 19,000, activists say. Following unlawful detentions and biased trials, the judiciary has handed down stiff sentences, including the death penalty, to protesters.