01/10/2026
Nasrin Sotoudeh has received the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize
Dear Nasrin, our heartfelt congratulations on receiving the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Council of Europe!
This award honours decades of extraordinary commitment to women’s and human rights in Iran. As a human rights lawyer, political prisoner and tireless advocate, you have stood up against forced veiling, the death penalty and political repression – repeatedly putting your own freedom and personal safety at risk. Your courage and persistence have made your voice an important part of the long struggle for freedom and equality in Iran.
We are grateful that, in our own way, our exhibition “From Evin with Love” in Munich has been able to contribute to making the voices and stories of women imprisoned in Evin more visible. Several of the objects you made in Evin were part of the exhibition. We have been deeply moved to hear that media coverage of the exhibition in various Iranian outlets has reached Iran and that this attention has given you and the Woman, Life, Freedom movement strength to continue your work.
At your own request, one of your dolls will now remain here in Munich.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, your voice – and the voices of the women of Evin – are being heard. Their stories are being carried forward. And this little doll has made its way from Evin to Munich, carrying a part of those stories with it.
https://www.dw.com/en/iranian-human-rights-lawyer-nasrin-sotoudeh-wins-the-2026-vaclav-havel-human-rights-prize/a-79462111