OSLO,
December 10 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In her acceptance
speech of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize later Wednesday, December 10,
Iranian rights activist Shirin Ebadi is expected to harshly criticized
the U.S. for using the 9/11 attacks as an excuse to violate
international law and human rights.
"In
the past two years, some states have violated the universal principles
and laws of human rights by using the events of September 11 and the
war on international terrorism as a pretext," she will say,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"The
concerns of human rights advocates increase when they observe that
international human rights laws are breached not only by their
recognized opponents [...], but that these principles are also
violated in Western democracies."
The
Nobel laureate, 56, will confirm that the detainees held by the U.S.
at Guantanamo base are deprived from "the rights stipulated under
the international Geneva conventions, the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights and the [United Nations] International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights".
'Null
And Void'
During
a press conference at the Nobel Institute in Oslo Tuesday, December 9,
Ebadi further criticized the U.S. for trying to impose democracy by
military force, warning that such attempts were "null and
void".
"Democracy
should not be used to attack other countries, to launch military
attacks against other countries," she added, asserting she did
not want to see a repetition in Iran of the U.S.-led war on Iraq.
"The
realization of democracy is a national and patriotic duty of
ours" and "any kind of military assault is futile,"
said Ebadi, recognized for her democracy-building efforts and her work
to improve human rights and women's rights in Iran.
Double
Standards
Ebadi
also pointed to selective application of United Nations decisions,
hinting at the U.S. double standards.
"Why
is it that some decisions and resolutions of the U.N. Security Council
are binding, while some other resolutions of the council have no
binding force?" she asked, pointing to the different treatment of
Israel and Iraq.
"Why
is it that in the past 35 years, dozens of U.N. resolutions concerning
the occupation of the Palestinian territories by the state of Israel
have not been implemented properly," Ebadi continues.
"Yet,
in the past 12 years, the state and people of Iraq were subjected to
attack, military assault, economic sanctions, and, ultimately,
military occupation?"
Defending
Islam
Dressed
in a pink pantsuit, with no hijab, the Iranian activist reaffirmed the
compatibility of Islam and human rights.
"If
innocent people are killed in the name of Islam, that's wrong,"
she said.
Ebadi
had frequently defended Islam against charges that it is incompatible
with the western concept of human rights.
"Islam
is not incompatible with human rights and all Muslims should be glad
of this prize. If you read the Qur’an you will see there is nothing
in it that is against human rights
Ebadi,
the first Muslim woman ever to receive the prestigious award, will
receive the prize from chairman of the Nobel Committee Ole Mjoes.
King
Harald V of Norway, who is usually present at the ceremony, sent his
excuses this time, as he is recovering from surgery he underwent for
bladder cancer on Monday, December 8.
The
prize consists of a diploma, a gold medal, and a check for 10 million
Swedish kronor [about 1.4 million dollars, 1.1 million euros].