A ban on leaving Iranian territory was imposed on the parents and brother of Makhsa Amini, the Iranian Kurdish woman who died last year, who were to receive the posthumous Zakharov prize, the young woman announced today in French Agency or their lawyer in France.

“They were banned at midnight yesterday from boarding the flight they were going to take to France to receive the Zakharov Prize, as well as from leaving Iran, even though they had visas,” said lawyer Shirin Ardakani. “Their passports were confiscated,” he added.

Makhsa Amini and the “Woman Life Freedom” movement, which was suppressed in blood by the authorities in Iran, were honored last October by the European Parliament with the Zakharov Prize, the EU’s top honor for human rights.

The death of Mahsha Amini on December 16, 2022 at the age of 22, three days after she was arrested by the morality police for improperly wearing her headscarf, sparked months of widespread protests against Iran’s political and religious leaders. The crackdown on the protests cost the lives of hundreds of people and thousands of arrests.

“With the Nobel ceremonies taking place at the same time, the Iranian authorities have never been more mobilized to prevent the victims’ families from speaking before the international community,” said Ardakani.

“The brutal murder of Dina Mahsa Amini marked a turning point,” the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metzola, emphasized when announcing the award.

“The slogan ‘Woman Life Freedom’ became a rallying cry for all those who defend equality, dignity and freedom in Iran,” he added.