IRAN: Reformists welcome Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi

TEHRAN, 15 October (IRIN) - Thousands of Iranians descended on Tehran's
city airport on Tuesday evening to welcome their new national hero: the
country's first Nobel Laureate, 56-year-old Shirin Ebadi. Some had
traveled for hours, from cities other than Tehran to be here. Now they
were clutching flowers and waving banners, many of them wearing white to
symbolise peace.

The party atmosphere was joyous and emotional, with people linking arms to
sing Iran's pre-revolutionary national anthem and chant anti-government
slogans. Hundreds of police with batons lined the streets, but looked
bemused by the euphoria, and no animosity ensued between them and the
revellers.

"Tonight is an exceptional night - it's a momentous moment for children's
rights and women's rights," said Ja'far Vakili, who had come with his wife
and daughter from Karaj, a town an hour's drive from the capital.

As the aircraft carrying Ebadi landed, a deafening roar of cheers,
whistles and claps erupted, only to dwindle to silence as she began
addressing the crowd.

Visibly overwhelmed by the reception, Ebadi wiped away a tear as she
called for peace, human rights, democracy, and freedom to be granted to
all political prisoners, adding that her award belonged to the Iranian
people. "The world has heard our cry," she said.

By becoming a laureate, the human rights activist has further widened the
rift between reformists and hardliners. A vociferous opponent of Iran's
divorce and inheritance laws, and rights violations by the Iranian
authorities, Ebadi has doggedly campaigned for the rights of women and
children. Not only is she Iran's first woman judge, but as a lawyer taking
up politically sensitive cases she was given a suspended sentence, banned
from working and briefly detained.

While reformists are celebrating Ebadi's homecoming from Paris, where she
had been attending a conference when she heard of her award, hardliners
are describing the Nobel judges' decision to honor her as an attempt by
the West to destabilize the Islamic government.

Under pressure from the hardline clerics, Iran's reformist President
Mohammad Khatami's views have taken a U-turn. Initially praising Ebadi's
achievement, saying, "There is no one who does not delight in the success
of a fellow compatriot," a few days later he described the award as "not
very important", and warned the rights lawyer to pay attention to Iranian
interests.

To the country's reformists, Khatami's perceived failure to stand by the
progressive movement in the face of pressure from hardliners has caused
frustration and anger. This feeling was reflected at the airport, where,
amid joyous cries of "Long live Ebadi", others were heard furiously
chanting "Shame on you, Khatami".