Yahoo TV

STORY: Iran's clerical rulers have faced widespread unrest since Mahsa Amini died in the custody of the morality police on September 16 after she was arrested for wearing "inappropriate attire."

Iran has blamed Amini's death on preexisting medical problems and has accused the United States and other foes fomenting the unrest to destabilize the clerical establishment.

A staunch critic of the clerical establishment that has ruled in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Ebadi has been one of the most outspoken supporters of the anti-government demonstrations. She won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her work defending human rights and has been in exile in London since 2009.

Like many critics of Iran's clerical rulers, Ebadi believes the current wave of protests has been the boldest challenge to the establishment's legitimacy yet.