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(KSL News) The University of Utah had another Nobel Prize winner on campus today. Shirin Ebadi was the guest speaker at the university's 2nd annual World Leaders Lecture Forum.
Ebadi was born and raised in Iran and, in 1975, became that country's first female judge. But following the Iranian Revolution in 1979, she was forced to give up her position because new leaders believed Islam forbade women from serving as judges.
Since then, Ebadi has made it her crusade to fight for the rights of women and children in her country. In 2003, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
"For the past 35 years, still she is fighting for the rights of women and children in Iran; and I admire her highly. And her life is always in danger, by the way," said Nayereh Fallahi, associate instructor of languages and literature at the University of Utah.
Ebadi now has her own law practice and travels the world extensively, speaking and conducting seminars on human rights issues.
