Iranian lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh wins 2026 Václav Havel Prize

Iranian human rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh has received the 2026 Václav Havel Human Rights Prize for her work defending activists, journalists and people facing execution.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe announced Sotoudeh as this year’s laureate Monday in Strasbourg. She is the first Iranian woman to receive the prize, according to AFP.

The other finalists were Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad and Hungarian human rights lawyer Márta Pardavi.

Sotoudeh, 63, has campaigned against the death penalty and Iran’s compulsory veiling laws. Her clients have included political activists, journalists, members of minority communities and children sentenced to death.

The Council of Europe praised her work despite “repeated arrests, long prison sentences and significant personal risk.”

Sotoudeh was arrested again in April and released on bail the following month. Human rights groups continue to voice concern about her safety and Iran’s broader crackdown on independent lawyers and activists.

“At moments like this, we remember our past struggles, our shared ideals and the people who support us around the world,” Sotoudeh said in a video message from Tehran.

“We reconnect with our shared hopes and tell ourselves: One day they will come true. One day, the sun of freedom will shine over our country as well.”

Sotoudeh previously received the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2012.

Established in 2013, the Václav Havel Human Rights Prize recognizes exceptional contributions to protecting human rights in Europe and beyond. It includes EUR 60,000, approximately CZK 1.5 million.

The award is named after the playwright, dissident and former Czechoslovak and Czech president. It is jointly organized by the Parliamentary Assembly, the Dagmar and Václav Havel Foundation VIZE 97 and the Charter 77 Foundation.

Ukrainian journalist and human rights activist Maksym Butkevych received the prize last year.

The Václav Havel Library previously helped organize the award but withdrew after Dagmar Havlová revoked permission for the institution to use her late husband’s name. It was renamed the First Presidential Library earlier this month.