Iranian authorities prevent Mahsa Amini’s family from receiving Sakharov Prize

Shafaq News / The Iranian authorities prevented Mahsa Amini’s family, whose death sparked widespread protests in the country in September 2022, from leaving the country to accept the "Sakharov" Prize awarded to the young woman by the European Parliament, according to the family’s lawyer in France on Saturday.

Shirin Ardakani informed Agence France-Presse (AFP) that Amini's parents and her brother "were prevented from boarding the plane that was supposed to take them to France to receive the Sakharov Prize at midnight last night, despite having entry visas."

Ardakani added, "Their passports were confiscated." Meanwhile, Iranian authorities have not commented on these statements.

It is noteworthy that in October, the European Parliament awarded Amini the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, one of the most prestigious human rights awards from the European Union.

The 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian Mahsa Amini died on September 16, 2022, three days after being detained by the morality police in Tehran for not adhering to strict dress codes.

Her death sparked widespread protests with demonstrators chanting "Woman, life, freedom."