Woman, Life, Freedom Wins 2023 World Freedom Award
Freedom House honors Iran's Woman, Life, Freedom movement and imprisoned Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Last night Freedom House, the 80-year-old NGO begun by Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Wilkie, presented its 2023 Freedom Award to imprisoned Russian dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza and to the women’s movement in Iran.
Vladimir Kara-Murza
Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House, lauded Kara-Murza, a Russian democratic opposition leader, historian, and Washington Post contributor, for his relentless opposition to Vladimir Putin’s repression and to rampant corruption in the Russian government. Last month, Kara-Murza was sentenced to 25 years in prison for criticizing the invasion of Ukraine and calling for sanctions against Putin’s regime. Said Abramowitz:
The struggle for freedom and human rights requires the unwavering commitment of individuals and communities around the world. Vladimir Kara-Murza has exemplified the kind of courage that turns the tide against tyranny and oppression. We call for his immediate release from his unjust and unfounded imprisonment.
Kara-Murza is characterized as a “fierce and principled critic” of President Vladimir Putin. He was a close friend of opposition leader Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in 2015. Kara-Murza himself has been poisoned twice.
In April 2022, Kara-Murza criticized Putin’s invasion of Ukraine on CNN. He was arrested in Moscow, initially for “behaving inappropriately in the sight of police officers.” Technically, he was arrested for “discrediting” the military. Then, in October, he was charged with treason. On April 17, 2023, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Observers say Kara-Murza’s health, affected by neural damage caused by his poisonings, has rapidly declined since his incarceration.
Women, Life, Freedom
In his remarks on the Women, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, Abramowitz noted the “courage and resilience” Iranians have shown “in the face of ongoing persecution and discrimination by their country’s regime.”
From all walks of life, the women of Iran are putting themselves on the line…. The international community must stand with the women of Iran as they continue their fight for freedom in the face of horrific repression and human rights abuses.
On September 14, 2022, Mahsa Amini was visiting Tehran from her home in Kurdistan Province when she was arrested by Iran’s morality police for wearing her headscarf “improperly.” Amini was beaten and fell into a coma while in custody. Hours after her death was confirmed, Iranian women quickly mobilized, with rallies ultimately being held in over 100 Iranian cities. The regime responded with a harsh crackdown, particularly in the country’s Kurdish region. Last week, educators held rallies in several cities to protest the recurrent poisonings of schools, which most often targeted female students.
Over 19,700 people have been arrested and 530 have been killed since the protests began. Iran has been rated Not Free by the Freedom in the World report since 1979, scoring 12/100 in Freedom in the World 2023.
Past recipients of the Freedom Award include His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama; Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; Václav Havel, the playwright, dissident, and first postcommunist president of Czechoslovakia; Saudi activist Hala al-Dosari; journalist Edward R. Murrow; Uyghur activist Ilham Tohti; and Pablo Casals, the musician and opponent of Spanish dictator Francisco Franco.
Freedom House’s URL is www.FreedomHouse.org