Asma Jahangir
Encyclopedia
Asma Jilani Jahangir (born January 27, 1952 in Karachi
) is a leading Pakistan
i lawyer
, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and human rights
activist, who works both in Pakistan and internationally to prevent the persecution of religious minorities, women, and exploitation of children.
She was the United Nations
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief from August 2004 to July 2010 (first attached to the former Commission on Human Rights, now to the Human Rights Council). Previously, she served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. She is also chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
.
. Her mother, educated at a co-ed college at a time, when few Muslim women even received higher education - also fought the traditional system, pioneering her own clothes business, when the family's lands were confiscated in 1967 as a result of her husband's opinions and detention. Jahangir herself became involved at a young age in protests against the military regime as well as opposing her father's detention by then president, Benazir Bhutto
's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
in 1972. She completed her BA from Kinnaird College
, Lahore and her law degree in 1978, and her LLB from Punjab University
. She also holds an honorary doctorate from University of St. Gallen
in Switzerland.
and blasphemy laws of Pakistan put in place as part of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
program in Pakistan. She is a founding member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
, and has served as Secretary-General and later Chairperson of the organization.
In 1980, Jahangir and her sister, Hina Jilani
, got together with fellow activists and lawyers to form the first law firm established by women in Pakistan. In the same year they also helped form the Women's Action Forum
(WAF), a pressure group campaigning against Pakistan's discriminatory legislation, most notably against the Proposed Law of Evidence, where the value of a woman's testimony was reduced to half that of a man's testimony, and the Hadood Ordinances, where victims of rape had to prove their innocence or else face punishment themselves. On February 12, 1983, the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in Lahore organised a public protest (one of its leaders was Jahangir) against the Proposed Law of Evidence, during which Jahangir and other participating WAF members were beaten, teargassed, and arrested by police.
The first WAF demonstration, however, was in 1983, when some 25-50 women took to the streets protesting the controversial case of Safia Bibi. In 1983, Safia, a blind 13-year-old girl, was raped by her employers, and as a result became pregnant, yet ended up in jail charged with fornication (zina) sentenced to flogging, 3 years of imprisonment and fined. (Jahangir defended Safia in her appeal and eventually the verdict was overruled by an appeals court due to pressure and protests.); "We (their law firm) had been given a lot of cases by the advocate general and the moment this demonstration came to light, the cases were taken away from us."
In 1982 Jahangir earned the nickname "little heroine" after leading a protest march in Islamabad
against a decision by then-president Zia ul Haq to enforce religious laws and stated: "Family laws [which are religious laws] give women few rights" and that "They have to be reformed because Pakistan cannot live in isolation. We cannot remain shackled while other women progress."
In 1986 Jahangir and Hina set up AGHS Legal Aid, the first free legal aid centre in Pakistan. The AGHS Legal Aid Cell in Lahore also runs a shelter for women, called 'Dastak'. Look after by her secretary Munib Ahmed.
She is also a proponent of protecting the rights of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan and speaks out against forced conversions.
Jahangir has campaigned against human rights abuses taking place in government and police custody in Pakistan, i.e. rape in police custody is widespread but vastly under-reported; "Women are arrested, raped and sexually assaulted every day in the presence of female constables, who find themselves helpless in such situations."
In 1996 the High Court in Lahore ruled that an adult Muslim woman could not get married without the consent of her male guardian (wali
). Women, who chose their husbands independently, could be forced to annul their marriages and the repercussions were highlighted by Jahangir, who also took on such cases (i.e. the case of Saima Waheed); "Hundreds have already been arrested. This is simply going to open up the floodgates for the harassment of women and girls by their families and the authorities. The courts have sanctioned their oppression. Thousands more are bound to be affected by this."
Jahangir has demanded that the government of Parvez Musharraf work to improve the record of human rights domestically. Citing examples of human rights abuses, she wrote, "A Hindu income tax inspector gets lynched in the presence of the army personnel for allegedly having made a remark on the beard of a trader. Promptly, the unfortunate Hindu government servant is booked for having committed blasphemy, while the traders and the Lashkar-e-Taiba
activists were offered tea over parleys. A seventy-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi and her pregnant daughter Samina are languishing in Sheikhupura jail on trumped-up charges of blasphemy.
She is also an active opponent of child labour and capital punishment: "It would be hypocrisy to defend laws I don't believe in, like capital punishment, the blasphemy law and laws against women and in favor of child labor."
December 2003 as UN
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Asma Jahangir stated that she continues to be alarmed by deaths in custody in China
. Reports from China describe harrowing scenes in which detainees, many of whom are followers of the Falun Gong
movement, die as a result of severe ill-treatment, neglect or medical attention. The cruelty and brutality of these alleged acts of torture according to her defy description.
In her capacity as a UN official, Jahangir was in Pakistan
, when Pervez Musharraf
declared a state of emergency in 2007
. In November 2006, she participated the international meeting for The Yogyakarta Principles as one of 29 experts. On November 5, 2007, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour
indicated that Jahangir was among the judicial and political officials detained by the Musharraf government.
During her election campaign for the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in October 2010, right wing miscreants backed by some elements of the notorious Pakistani ISI indulged in a massive propoganda about Asma Jahangir but their efforts were unsuccessful and she won the elections for President SCBAP. These miscreants resorted to publishing false accusations about her in posters and pamphlets that were put up outside courts and posted to lawyers. They wrongly alleged that Asma Jahangir is supportive of Mr. Narrendra Modi, the notorious Chief Minister of Gujarat, India, under whose rule scores of Muslims were killed in rioting. Ms Jahangir as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion was on an official mission to India where she had to meet all State and non-State actors who were involved in her mandate. She visited Mr. Modi and right wing elements show a picture of her with him to accuse her of supporting him while they ignored that she had publicly denounced the violence that had gone on in Gujarat and had denounced the alleged role of the State in it. Her report of the mission is available on the United Nations website at A/HRC/10/8/Add.3 on 26 January 2009 and she also made a press conference where she especially noted the riots in Gujarat and involvement of the State in it in many leading newspapers. http://www.hindu.com/nic/asmajahangir.htm
reported that "Over 500 lawyers, opposition politicians and human rights activists have been arrested. They include Asma Jahangir, boss of the country’s human-rights commission and a former UN special rapporteur. In an e-mail from her house arrest, where she has been placed for 90 days, Ms Jahangir regretted that General Musharraf had "lost his marbles".
One of her famous publications is titled "Whither are We!" and was published in Dawn, on October 2, 2000.
and particularly after defending a 14 year old Christian boy, Salamat Masih, accused of blasphemy and ultimately winning the case in 1995, a mob at the High Court smashed Jahangir's car, assaulted her and her driver, threatening her with death. Jahangir and her family have been attacked, taken hostage, had their home broken into and received death threats ever since, but she continues her battle for justice.
When Jahangir undertook the case of Saima Sarwar in 1999, who was given shelter at Dastak after leaving her husband, wanting a divorce and later gunned down by her family in an act of honor killing
, Jahangir received death threats for representing Saima in her divorce proceedings.
In May 2005 Jahangir announced that she would hold a symbolic mixed-gender marathon in Lahore to raise awareness about violence against women. This was following the revelations of cases such as Mukhtar Mai. Tensions boiled over, as Islamist groups and supporters of the political Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
(MMA) armed with firearms, batons and Molotov cocktails, violently opposed the race, and Jahangir received especially rough treatment from local police and intelligence agents, who began to strip off her clothes in public. Of this Jahangir said "A lot of people tried to cover my back because I could only feel it I could not see my back. When they were putting me on the police van, they assured that my photograph was taken while my back was bare. This was just to humiliate, this was simply just to humiliate me." A police officer told Jahangir that they had orders to be strict and to tear off the participant’s clothes. In addition she along with other participants was also beaten.
as well as the Ramon Magsaysay Award
for "greatness of spirit shown in service of the people".
In 2001 Jahangir and Hina Jilani
were awarded the Millennium prize, by UNIFEM (the United Nations Development Fund for Women) in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation International Alert.
In 2002 she was awarded the Lisl and Leo Eitinger Prize.
In 2005 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 Women for Peace project.
On May 29, 2010 at the International Four Freedoms Award 2010 Jahangir will receive the Freedom of Worship Medal for her human rights and religious freedom activism in a ceremony held in the Nieuwe Kerk in Middelburg, Holland.
On March 23, 2010 for services in Human Rights, she was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz
, the second highest civilian award of Pakistan.
On October 27, 2010 She won the Supreme Court Bar Association election by defeating her competitor Ahmed Awais and securing 834 of total votes and became the first ever women President of SCBA in the history of Pakistan. .
On December 10, 2010 she was awarded with the 2010 UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights.
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
) is a leading Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, President Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist, who works both in Pakistan and internationally to prevent the persecution of religious minorities, women, and exploitation of children.
She was the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief from August 2004 to July 2010 (first attached to the former Commission on Human Rights, now to the Human Rights Council). Previously, she served as the UN Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Arbitrary and Summary Executions. She is also chairperson of Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan , or HRCP, is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 1987, which is not associated or affiliated with the government or any political party. It is committed to act with impartiality and objectivity in all matters...
.
Early life
Jahangir was born into a prosperous and politically active family with a history of activism and human rights work. Her father, Malik Ghulam Jilani, was a civil servant, who entered politics upon retirement and spent years in jail and under house arrest for opposing military dictatorships. Her father was imprisoned on several occasions for his outspoken views, which included denouncing the Pakistani government for genocide during their military action in what is now BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
. Her mother, educated at a co-ed college at a time, when few Muslim women even received higher education - also fought the traditional system, pioneering her own clothes business, when the family's lands were confiscated in 1967 as a result of her husband's opinions and detention. Jahangir herself became involved at a young age in protests against the military regime as well as opposing her father's detention by then president, Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
's father, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
in 1972. She completed her BA from Kinnaird College
Kinnaird College
Kinnaird College for Women is a college in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is partially semi- government institute recognized by the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan.-Early history:...
, Lahore and her law degree in 1978, and her LLB from Punjab University
University of the Punjab
University of the Punjab , colloquially known as Punjab University, is located in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The University of the Punjab is the oldest and biggest University of Pakistan. The University of the Punjab was formally established with the convening of the first meeting of its...
. She also holds an honorary doctorate from University of St. Gallen
University of St. Gallen
The University of St. Gallen is a public research university located in St. Gallen, Switzerland. It is specialized in the fields of business administration, economics, law, and international affairs. The University of St. Gallen is also known as HSG, which is an abbreviation of its former German...
in Switzerland.
Work
She has spent her career defending the human and women rights, rights of religious minorities and children in Pakistan. Jahangir was and remains a staunch critic of the Hudood OrdinanceHudood Ordinance
The Hudood Ordinance was a law in Pakistan that was enacted in 1979 as part of then-military ruler Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization and replaced or revised in 2006 by the Women's Protection Bill....
and blasphemy laws of Pakistan put in place as part of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
On December 2, 1978, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq delivered a nationwide address on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra calendar. He did this in order to usher in an Islamic system to Pakistan...
program in Pakistan. She is a founding member of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan , or HRCP, is an independent, non-profit organization, founded in 1987, which is not associated or affiliated with the government or any political party. It is committed to act with impartiality and objectivity in all matters...
, and has served as Secretary-General and later Chairperson of the organization.
In 1980, Jahangir and her sister, Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan.-Work:Jilani is internationally recognized for her expertise in critical human rights investigations. She started practising law in 1979, when Pakistan was under martial law...
, got together with fellow activists and lawyers to form the first law firm established by women in Pakistan. In the same year they also helped form the Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum
Women's Action Forum is a women's rights organization and has a presence in several cities in Pakistan. It is a non-partisan, non-hierarchical and non-funded organization. It is supportive of all aspects of women's rights and related issues, irrespective of political affiliations, belief system,...
(WAF), a pressure group campaigning against Pakistan's discriminatory legislation, most notably against the Proposed Law of Evidence, where the value of a woman's testimony was reduced to half that of a man's testimony, and the Hadood Ordinances, where victims of rape had to prove their innocence or else face punishment themselves. On February 12, 1983, the Punjab Women Lawyers Association in Lahore organised a public protest (one of its leaders was Jahangir) against the Proposed Law of Evidence, during which Jahangir and other participating WAF members were beaten, teargassed, and arrested by police.
The first WAF demonstration, however, was in 1983, when some 25-50 women took to the streets protesting the controversial case of Safia Bibi. In 1983, Safia, a blind 13-year-old girl, was raped by her employers, and as a result became pregnant, yet ended up in jail charged with fornication (zina) sentenced to flogging, 3 years of imprisonment and fined. (Jahangir defended Safia in her appeal and eventually the verdict was overruled by an appeals court due to pressure and protests.); "We (their law firm) had been given a lot of cases by the advocate general and the moment this demonstration came to light, the cases were taken away from us."
In 1982 Jahangir earned the nickname "little heroine" after leading a protest march in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
against a decision by then-president Zia ul Haq to enforce religious laws and stated: "Family laws [which are religious laws] give women few rights" and that "They have to be reformed because Pakistan cannot live in isolation. We cannot remain shackled while other women progress."
In 1986 Jahangir and Hina set up AGHS Legal Aid, the first free legal aid centre in Pakistan. The AGHS Legal Aid Cell in Lahore also runs a shelter for women, called 'Dastak'. Look after by her secretary Munib Ahmed.
She is also a proponent of protecting the rights of persecuted religious minorities in Pakistan and speaks out against forced conversions.
Jahangir has campaigned against human rights abuses taking place in government and police custody in Pakistan, i.e. rape in police custody is widespread but vastly under-reported; "Women are arrested, raped and sexually assaulted every day in the presence of female constables, who find themselves helpless in such situations."
In 1996 the High Court in Lahore ruled that an adult Muslim woman could not get married without the consent of her male guardian (wali
Wali
Walī , is an Arabic word meaning "custodian", "protector", "sponsor", or authority as denoted by its definition "crown". "Wali" is someone who has "Walayah" over somebody else. For example, in Fiqh the father is wali of his children. In Islam, the phrase ولي الله walīyu 'llāh...
). Women, who chose their husbands independently, could be forced to annul their marriages and the repercussions were highlighted by Jahangir, who also took on such cases (i.e. the case of Saima Waheed); "Hundreds have already been arrested. This is simply going to open up the floodgates for the harassment of women and girls by their families and the authorities. The courts have sanctioned their oppression. Thousands more are bound to be affected by this."
Jahangir has demanded that the government of Parvez Musharraf work to improve the record of human rights domestically. Citing examples of human rights abuses, she wrote, "A Hindu income tax inspector gets lynched in the presence of the army personnel for allegedly having made a remark on the beard of a trader. Promptly, the unfortunate Hindu government servant is booked for having committed blasphemy, while the traders and the Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba
Lashkar-e-Taiba – also transliterated as Lashkar-i-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyaba, Lashkar-e-Tayyiba, Lashkar-i-Taiba, Lashkar Taiba or LeT – is one of the largest and most active militant Islamist terrorist organizations in South Asia, operating mainly from Pakistan.It was founded by Hafiz Muhammad...
activists were offered tea over parleys. A seventy-year-old Mukhtaran Bibi and her pregnant daughter Samina are languishing in Sheikhupura jail on trumped-up charges of blasphemy.
She is also an active opponent of child labour and capital punishment: "It would be hypocrisy to defend laws I don't believe in, like capital punishment, the blasphemy law and laws against women and in favor of child labor."
December 2003 as UN
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial Executions Asma Jahangir stated that she continues to be alarmed by deaths in custody in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. Reports from China describe harrowing scenes in which detainees, many of whom are followers of the Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
movement, die as a result of severe ill-treatment, neglect or medical attention. The cruelty and brutality of these alleged acts of torture according to her defy description.
In her capacity as a UN official, Jahangir was in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, when Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf
Pervez Musharraf , is a retired four-star general who served as the 13th Chief of Army Staff and tenth President of Pakistan as well as tenth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee. Musharraf headed and led an administrative military government from October 1999 till August 2007. He ruled...
declared a state of emergency in 2007
2007 Pakistani state of emergency
A state of emergency was declared by Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf on November 3, 2007, and lasted until December 15, 2007,during which time the constitution of Pakistan was suspended....
. In November 2006, she participated the international meeting for The Yogyakarta Principles as one of 29 experts. On November 5, 2007, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour
Louise Arbour
Louise Arbour, is the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for Ontario and a former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda...
indicated that Jahangir was among the judicial and political officials detained by the Musharraf government.
During her election campaign for the President of the Supreme Court Bar Association of Pakistan in October 2010, right wing miscreants backed by some elements of the notorious Pakistani ISI indulged in a massive propoganda about Asma Jahangir but their efforts were unsuccessful and she won the elections for President SCBAP. These miscreants resorted to publishing false accusations about her in posters and pamphlets that were put up outside courts and posted to lawyers. They wrongly alleged that Asma Jahangir is supportive of Mr. Narrendra Modi, the notorious Chief Minister of Gujarat, India, under whose rule scores of Muslims were killed in rioting. Ms Jahangir as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion was on an official mission to India where she had to meet all State and non-State actors who were involved in her mandate. She visited Mr. Modi and right wing elements show a picture of her with him to accuse her of supporting him while they ignored that she had publicly denounced the violence that had gone on in Gujarat and had denounced the alleged role of the State in it. Her report of the mission is available on the United Nations website at A/HRC/10/8/Add.3 on 26 January 2009 and she also made a press conference where she especially noted the riots in Gujarat and involvement of the State in it in many leading newspapers. http://www.hindu.com/nic/asmajahangir.htm
House arrest
On November 5, 2007, The EconomistThe Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
reported that "Over 500 lawyers, opposition politicians and human rights activists have been arrested. They include Asma Jahangir, boss of the country’s human-rights commission and a former UN special rapporteur. In an e-mail from her house arrest, where she has been placed for 90 days, Ms Jahangir regretted that General Musharraf had "lost his marbles".
Author
Jahangir is the author of many publications and 2 books, "Divine Sanction? The Hudood Ordinance" (1988, 2003) and "Children of a Lesser God: Child Prisoners of Pakistan" (1992).One of her famous publications is titled "Whither are We!" and was published in Dawn, on October 2, 2000.
Threats
Jahangir has received numerous threats over the years due to her activism and human rights workand particularly after defending a 14 year old Christian boy, Salamat Masih, accused of blasphemy and ultimately winning the case in 1995, a mob at the High Court smashed Jahangir's car, assaulted her and her driver, threatening her with death. Jahangir and her family have been attacked, taken hostage, had their home broken into and received death threats ever since, but she continues her battle for justice.
When Jahangir undertook the case of Saima Sarwar in 1999, who was given shelter at Dastak after leaving her husband, wanting a divorce and later gunned down by her family in an act of honor killing
Honor killing
An honor killing or honour killing is the homicide of a member of a family or social group by other members, due to the belief of the perpetrators that the victim has brought dishonor upon the family or community...
, Jahangir received death threats for representing Saima in her divorce proceedings.
In May 2005 Jahangir announced that she would hold a symbolic mixed-gender marathon in Lahore to raise awareness about violence against women. This was following the revelations of cases such as Mukhtar Mai. Tensions boiled over, as Islamist groups and supporters of the political Islamist alliance Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal is a coalition of Islamist parties that was formed in 2002 to electorally challenge the Pakistan Parliament's incumbent parties...
(MMA) armed with firearms, batons and Molotov cocktails, violently opposed the race, and Jahangir received especially rough treatment from local police and intelligence agents, who began to strip off her clothes in public. Of this Jahangir said "A lot of people tried to cover my back because I could only feel it I could not see my back. When they were putting me on the police van, they assured that my photograph was taken while my back was bare. This was just to humiliate, this was simply just to humiliate me." A police officer told Jahangir that they had orders to be strict and to tear off the participant’s clothes. In addition she along with other participants was also beaten.
Acknowledgements
In 1995, Jahangir received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights DefendersMartin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders
The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders, called also "the Nobel Prize for human rights", was created in 1993 to honour and protect individuals around the world who demonstrate exceptional courage in defending and promoting human rights...
as well as the Ramon Magsaysay Award
Ramon Magsaysay Award
The Ramon Magsaysay Award is an annual award established to perpetuate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of integrity in government, courageous service to the people, and pragmatic idealism within a democratic society. The Ramon Magsaysay Award is often considered Asia's Nobel...
for "greatness of spirit shown in service of the people".
In 2001 Jahangir and Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani
Hina Jilani is an advocate of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and a human-rights activist from Lahore in Punjab, Pakistan.-Work:Jilani is internationally recognized for her expertise in critical human rights investigations. She started practising law in 1979, when Pakistan was under martial law...
were awarded the Millennium prize, by UNIFEM (the United Nations Development Fund for Women) in collaboration with the non-governmental organisation International Alert.
In 2002 she was awarded the Lisl and Leo Eitinger Prize.
In 2005 she was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the 1000 Women for Peace project.
On May 29, 2010 at the International Four Freedoms Award 2010 Jahangir will receive the Freedom of Worship Medal for her human rights and religious freedom activism in a ceremony held in the Nieuwe Kerk in Middelburg, Holland.
On March 23, 2010 for services in Human Rights, she was awarded the Hilal-i-Imtiaz
Hilal-i-Imtiaz
The Hilal-i-Imtiaz, English: Crescent of Excellence, Urdu: هلال ا متيا ز , is the second highest civilian award and honor given to both civilians and military officers of the State of Pakistan|Pakistan armed forces by the Government of Pakistan...
, the second highest civilian award of Pakistan.
On October 27, 2010 She won the Supreme Court Bar Association election by defeating her competitor Ahmed Awais and securing 834 of total votes and became the first ever women President of SCBA in the history of Pakistan. .
On December 10, 2010 she was awarded with the 2010 UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights.
Personal life
She is married and has a son and two daughters, Munizae Jahangir, a journalist and Sulema Jahangir, who is also a lawyer.External links
- Interview 'Pakistan Should Have Taken The Moral High Ground' August 29, 1998
- ABC News - Nightline Interview: A Matter of Honor By Forrest Sawyer February 15, 1999
- Profile of Asma Jahangir 2000
- Democracy is Survival for Women 2000
- RAWA Articles on Asma Jahangir March 2000
- A law to lament By Asma Jahangir June 5, 2002
- Asma Jahangir in her Own Words 2002
- Of Rites and Rights: An Interview with Asma Jahangir By Anniqua Rana September 23, 2003
- News Report on appointment as Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief
- UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief
- Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP)
- Time Magazine profile April 21, 2003
- Interview with Asma Jahangir By Nermeen Shaikh October 27, 2005
- Interview 'If Pakistan Can Take Up Gujarat Riots, Surely India Can Raise The Balochistan Issue' February 6, 2006
- Gulf News: A profile in courage April 2, 2007
- Declan Walsh talks to Asma Jahangir, Pakistan's human rights champion 20 July 2007
- Under House Arrest, Pakistani Human Rights Leader Asma Jahangir Speaks Out on Musharraf’s Crackdown November 14, 2007
- The Last Word: Asma Jahangir 2007
- Human rights lawyer and activist speaks out against Pakistani military dictatorship February 20, 2008
- Katy Clark speaks with Asma Jahangir on 'Violence in Pakistan' October 28, 2009
- Herald exclusive: An interview with Asma Jahangir January 25, 2011