The 2010 Alexander Prize recipient was Shadi Sadr, an Iranian lawyer who has risked her life in her efforts to protect the human rights of women activists and journalists. She has been arrested, beaten and imprisoned in Iran. In July 2009 she was arrested once again and then released, which allowed her to escape to Germany. On May 17, 2010, Ms. Sadr was convicted in absentia in a Tehran court  of “acting against national security and harming public order” and was sentenced to six years in prison with 74 lashes.

The Committee selected Shadi Sadr because of her ceaseless dedication to championing the cause of Iranian women and risking her freedom to defend those who are wrongfully accused and imprisoned.

Ms. Sadr has touched the lives of thousands of individuals through the entities she has established and her support of campaigns such as "End Stoning Forever." She founded the website "Women in Iran" and was the director of Raahi, a legal center for women which has since been closed. Ms. Sadr exemplifies the courage and self-sacrifice required of Alexander Prize recipients.