Iranian human rights lawyer and Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi says death threats against her and her family are intensifying.

Shirin Ebadi

Ebadi said in a faxed statement Monday, that those who wish her dead do not have any personal animosity toward her, but are opposed to her ideas.

The Nobel laureate included samples of the death threats in her statement, including one that warned her to watch her tongue or be avenged.

Ebadi was awarded the Nobel peace prize in 2003 for her work promoting women's and children's rights in Iran. She has provoked leading clerics with her protests against rights abuses in the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.