Human rights advocate Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned for her fight for women’s rights in Iran. Now, she has been awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. “The prize makes me resilient and hopeful,” says Mohammadi.
“Women, life, freedom.”
That’s how Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Nobel Committee, began her award speech, referencing the slogan Iranian women have fought under.
At the forefront of the wave of demonstrations in Iran stands Narges Mohammadi. She has long fought for women’s rights in Iran and demands the abolition of the death penalty and democratic reforms.
Narges Mohammadi has been in and out of prison and is currently held in the notorious Evin prison. From there, she has reported on the torture of female inmates.
“The Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her struggle to promote human rights and freedom for all,” says Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Nobel Committee.
Peace Prize Winner from Prison: “I Will Fight Against Ruthless Discrimination and Tyranny”
According to The New York Times, the Peace Prize winner expressed joy over the award and promised to continue her fight in Iran.
“I will never stop the struggle for democracy, freedom, and equality. The Nobel Peace Prize will undoubtedly make me more determined, resilient, and hopeful,” said Mohammadi in a statement on Friday.
“I stand alongside brave mothers in Iran. I will continue to fight against ruthless discrimination, tyranny, and gender-based oppression perpetrated by the oppressive religious authorities until women are liberated.”
Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Nobel Committee, holds a picture of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, on her phone.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, is imprisoned, and Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Nobel Committee, has not been able to personally deliver the big news to her.
When Berit Reiss-Andersen announced this year’s Peace Prize laureate this morning, she emphasized that Narges Mohammadi’s struggle has come at great personal cost.
Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times. In total, she has been sentenced to 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, and she remains incarcerated to this day.
“I will stay in Iran, where I will continue my fight alongside those who are imprisoned in our oppressive institutions, even if I have to spend the rest of my life in prison,” she said, according to France 24.
When asked how the award ceremony for Narges Mohammadi on December 10th will be conducted, Berit Reiss-Andersen said that Iranian authorities should release her from prison so she can receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
The United Nations is now urging Iran to release Mohammadi.
Exactly 20 years ago, Iranian Shirin Ebadi received the Nobel Peace Prize. Narges Mohammadi was the deputy head of the human rights center that Ebadi founded. Now, they are both Nobel Peace Prize laureates.
Ebadi told NRK that she is pleased that Narges Mohammadi is awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. She considers Mohammadi her deputy in the work for women’s rights in Iran and hopes the prize will benefit the entire Iranian people.
Facts about Narges Mohammadi:
– Iranian journalist and human rights activist, currently imprisoned.
– 51 years old, born on April 21, 1972, in Zanjian, Iran.
– Vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), led by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.
– Has been imprisoned multiple times, including in 2021 when she participated in a memorial for Ebrahim Ketbadar, who was killed during a demonstration. Her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize was cited as hostile activity. In 2022, she announced that she had been sentenced to 8 years and 2 months in prison, along with 74 lashes. The sentence has since been extended.
– Has accused the prison system of sexual and physical abuse against female inmates.
