8 January 2011 - The chair of the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission has been awarded the 2010 Tipperary International Peace Award for her contribution to freedom and democracy in Afghanistan.

The Tipperary Peace Convention based in Ireland hailed Sima Samar as a “principled and outspoken proponent of human rights and the need for a true reconciliatory process” who as put her life in immense risk and overcame numerous obstacles for the welfare of oppressed women and children.

As a medical doctor - the first Hazara woman to obtain a degree in medicine from Kabul University - Samar has spoken out about the health hazards of the burqa worn by some woman.

She served as Deputy President in the interim government in 2002 in Afghanistan, and then as Minister for Women’s Affairs.

Between 1995 and 1999, Samar served as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Sudan

Samar will receive the award later this year in Tipperary, Ireland. Previous recipients of the Tipperary International Peace Award include Nelson Mandela, Mikhail Gorbachev and Bill Clinton.

By UNAMA