There's been some significant official support for the award from within Iran: The Iranian government congratulated Ebadi, and reformers said it was a victory for women's rights and political change in the Islamic Republic.

"In the name of the Islamic Republic of Iran's government I congratulate Dr Edabi and we see this (award) as the result of her qualifications," Abdollah Ramazanzadeh, spokesman for Iran's reformist government said in the first official reaction.

He said her views on human rights, especially women's rights, had been noted internationally and "this is an honour for Iranian women and shows that Iranian Muslim women have gained a positive atmosphere for their activities and we hope that her views will be noticed inside and outside of Iran."
(From Gulf Daily News (Bahrein)