Kathmandu, Feb. 9 -- Nobel Peace Prize winner and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi on Monday highlighted the challenges of upholding democracy and protecting human rights in countries governed by rigid ideologies.

Speaking at the Kantipur Conclave 2026 as a keynote speaker, Ebadi focused on Iran, her home country, where citizens have protested for democratic freedoms and women's rights for over four decades.

Authorities have often responded with arrests, suppression, and violence, she said. Despite being the world's fourth-largest holder of natural gas reserves, two-thirds of Iranians live below the poverty line-a situation Ebadi attributes to the government's failure to ensure democracy and uphold citizens' rights.

"In Iran, laws ar...