Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has been awarded the 2026 Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize for her tireless efforts in defending human rights in Iran. The prize, which carries a €60,000 award, was created in 2013 in memory of former Czech dissident and president Vaclav Havel. Sotoudeh, 63, has long campaigned against capital punishment and Iran's compulsory hijab laws, while representing some of the country's most prominent human rights cases.
The Council of Europe, which is based in Strasbourg, praised Sotoudeh for continuing her work despite repeated arrests, lengthy prison sentences, and serious personal risks. She is the first Iranian woman to receive the prize, which was awarded during a ceremony at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France, on September 28, 2026. Sotoudeh did not travel to Strasbourg for the award ceremony; instead, her daughter Mehraveh Khandan Heris received the prize on her behalf.
Sotoudeh has been detained several times over the course of her career because of her legal and human rights work. She was arrested again by the Iranian authorities in April and released on bail more than a month later. The Council of Europe said her detention had renewed concerns about her safety and highlighted what it described as a broader crackdown on independent lawyers and human rights defenders in Iran.
Sotoudeh is one of Iran's best-known lawyers and has spent years defending political prisoners, women protesting against compulsory veiling, and children facing the death penalty. In 2012, she was jointly awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, one of the European Union's highest human rights honours. Her latest recognition comes amid heightened concern about arrests and repression inside Iran.
The Vaclav Havel Prize is awarded each year by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to individuals or organisations recognised for outstanding work in defence of human rights. Sotoudeh was chosen from a shortlist that also included Iranian-American journalist and activist Masih Alinejad and Hungarian lawyer Marta Pardavi. In a video message recorded in Tehran, Sotoudeh said the award was a reminder of past struggles and of the international support received by Iranian rights campaigners.
Human rights organisations say thousands of people have been detained since the start of the US-Israeli offensive against Iran on February 28. The Iranian authorities have also acknowledged that more than 3,000 people were killed during anti-government protests in January, while blaming much of the violence on what Tehran described as "terrorist acts" orchestrated by the United States and Israel. Sotoudeh's husband, Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned since December 2024.
Key points
- Nasrin Sotoudeh is the first Iranian woman to receive the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize.
- Sotoudeh has been recognised for her work in defending human rights in Iran, including her campaigns against capital punishment and compulsory hijab laws.
- The prize carries a €60,000 award and is given annually by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
