Iranian human rights activist receives honorary doctorate in Bern
Published: Saturday, Dec 2nd 2023, 10:30
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The University of Bern has awarded the Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Nasrin Sotoudeh an honorary doctorate. In doing so, the university is paying particular tribute to the lawyer and journalist's "courageous fight" for the rights of women and girls.
Sotoudeh gives Iranian civil society a face through her activities, writes the University of Bern in its laudatory speech. Sotoudeh pursues her commitment to peace and freedom by accepting personal disadvantages and at the expense of her own freedom. The sixty-year-old is a member of the movement "Woman. Life. Freedom" movement.
The Iranian has represented numerous defendants in political and human rights cases. For example, Sotoudeh worked as a lawyer for the Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who was persecuted by the Iranian judiciary and now lives in exile in the UK. Sotoudeh herself was convicted several times in Iran and banned from leaving the country and practicing her profession. Accordingly, Sotoudeh was not present in Bern on Saturday.
Sotoudeh has already received numerous awards for her commitment, including the Alternative Nobel Prize and the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought.
University of Bern awards further honorary doctorates
The Faculty of Medicine awarded Prof. Dr. Stefanie Dimmeler an honorary doctorate. The German biologist and biochemist has made a name for herself with her research into the pathophysiology of cardiovascular diseases.
Finally, the Faculty of Science also honored Prof. Dr. Bernd Sturmfels with an honorary doctorate. The mathematician was honored for his pioneering work in algebraic statistics and tropical geometry. Sturmfels has been Director at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig D since 2017.
Founded in 1834, the University of Bern awards honorary doctorates at its annual foundation ceremony, the Dies academicus.
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