Nobel Peace Prizes awarded to Iranian women 20 years apart trace tensions with the West

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Nobel Peace Prize awarded to an Iranian women’s rights activist signaled international support for democracy efforts in the Islamic Republic. That was 20 years ago and the winner, Shirin Ebadi, faced harassment that ultimately forced her to flee the country. On Friday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee gave its prestigious Peace Prize to Ebadi’s colleague, Narges Mohammadi, who has been in and out of prison for over a decade because of her activism. The awards bookend a period in which Iran and the United States have seesawed between confrontation and possible reconciliation over restraining Tehran’s nuclear program. Over that time, women’s rights have moved to the forefront of protests in Iran.