Mina Ahadi

Mina Ahadi is an Iranian-born Austrian activist and founder of the first Ex-Muslim movement, Zentralrats der Ex-Muslime. It brought serious threats to her life. She lives under police protection. Back home in Iran she was a political activist and organized the first protest against compulsory headscarves for women. Because of her activism, Iranian Secret police raided her apartment and arrested and executed her then-husband and 5 guests as she was not home. She was later sentenced to death in absentia. She continued the fight from the ground. After ten years of fighting, she had to escape the country. In 2001 she founded the International Committee Against Stoning, a network of 200 international organizations, and in 2004 the Committee Against Death Penalty. As coordinator and spokesperson for the two committees, she works with women’s and human rights organizations worldwide and advocates for people sentenced to death.