Madrid (Spain): the Iranian Islamic theologian Emad Baghi was awarded with the 2009 Martin Ennals Award, considered the Nobel Prize for Human Rights, from a jury which includes representatives of Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and eight other NGOs.

At a press conference today, the president of the jury and also president of the Martin Ennals Foundation), Hans Thoolen, underlined the enormous courage and tenacity of Baghi, who during the last ten years has spent 4 years in prison, has been arrested 67 times and has been threatened with death for his writings, which condemns the death penalty as contrary to the precepts of the Koran.

Emad Baghi, the second Iranian citizen to receive the Martin Ennals in recent years, use arguments based on Islamic precepts to promote has promoted gender equality and to combate torture in his country.