Inside a moderately-sized book covered with a modest white and blue binding that projects the essence of innocence and purity, a personal and political history erupts, laced with autobiographical details and factual information that not only teaches the reader but also enlightens. The innocuous treasury of knowledge tells not a singular story but a collective story of the experiences of human rights abuses, hopes, culture, struggles and public policy of the Iranian people from the Iranian Revolution in 1979 until the middle of last year, 2015 as the author conveys her unique trials and triumphs.
Shirin Ebadi, a Nobel Prize laureate, recounts several decades of her life as it clashed with the government of Iran that sought to limit her work as a judge and, later, lawyer that was dedicated to the human rights issues that plagued Iran. In the book, Until We Are Free, Shirin Ebadi informs her readers about the political system, domestic policy, foreign policy and human rights abuses of the Islamic Republic of Iran as she describes her life experiences.
In order to better explain the politics of Iran, Shirin Ebadi delineates the government of the Islamic Republic that formed following the Revolution that had ousted the shah or king. Iran became an Islamic state in which sharia law is followed as the civil law. As the highest ruling figure, the Ayatollah who is a cleric of Islam has the ultimate power and has the final word in any decision or ruling as “an unelected supreme leader”, according to Shirin Ebadi. Elected by a select group of clerics, the Ayatollah serves for life, and Iran has had two Ayatollahs: Ayatollah Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei.
Iran, a state led by conservative leaders, utilizes another tactic of imposing itself into the daily lives of its citizens by censoring the media, speech, and assembly to eliminate possible threats and dissent to the republic. To accomplish this goal, demonstrators were halted from meeting at parks, Shirin Ebadi’s anniversary party of the Human Rights Center was forcefully canceled and news station’s radio waves were “scrambled” by the government of Iran.
The human rights abuses that Shirin Ebadi presents, which include “discriminatory laws,” along with others, exemplify instances in which the Iranian government had overstepped its powers and influence of political capital. When describing the leniency of the rapists and murderers of a teenage girl, Shirin Ebadi declares the laws “a distortion of true Islamic principles” since the state sought to delineate the court case’s ruling on the basis of sharia law. Further exercising the power of the state to enforce religious standards, Iranian government follows discriminatory laws and fails to intervene when the abuses occur which was exemplified when the local Tehrani government announced that women could not work in the city’s cafes and restaurants since working long hours would "deteriorate" family life, and the national government turned a blind eye to the injustice of the new regulations.
Seemingly, the greatest concern of the Iranian republic manifested itself as potential threats to national security. Though all nations have the right to defend their states and ensure the peace and safety of the land, the Iranian government overstepped its responsibilities and wrongfully imprisoned, searched, executed and sentenced innocent individuals on vague accusations of being threats to the state. Following Shirin Ebadi’s departure from Iran, countless friends, families, and associates were accused, tried, and sentenced as dangers to the national security. The women’s rights issues and the inequitable justice system are a few examples of the human rights abuses Shirin Ebadi uses to holistically portray the state of Iran.
With Shirin Ebadi’s international influence and humanitarian work, she scrupulously follows international topics and the foreign affairs of Iran as well as its domestic policies.
Until We Are Free: My Fight for Human rights in Iran by Shirin Ebadi provides a comprehensive summary of the human rights issues, political structure and political policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Her occupation as a lawyer, particularly for the victims of an unjust legal system, highlights the judicial system, laws, politics, and violations in Iran. Understanding the hierarchy and division of government along, the readers absorb the information on the human rights issues, broadening their view of the political landscape of Iran and the world.
Shirin Ebadi takes on the role of a teacher who slowly transforms into a role model and guiding figure. Through her political and personal experiences, she advises her audience and the Republic on the issues that must be addressed and the course of action for the coming years, and she gives an account of a life well lived, one her readers can strive to achieve.
