Renowned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering fight against the oppression of women.
Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, acknowledged that Narges Mohammadi’s struggle had come at a “tremendous personal cost.”
She commended Ms. Mohammadi, who is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence in Iran’s notorious Evin prison in Tehran, for remaining steadfast in her mission to champion the rights of women and promote human rights and freedom for all.
Iran’s foreign ministry responded to the award, calling it “biased” and attributing it to “the interventionist and anti-Iran policies of some European countries.” However, the international community widely praised the Nobel Peace Prize’s decision.
US President Joe Biden expressed his admiration for Narges Mohammadi’s “unshakeable courage” and called on the Iranian government to release her. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed her as a “freedom fighter.”
At the award ceremony in Oslo, Berit Reiss-Andersen declared that the Nobel Peace Prize was bestowed upon Ms. Mohammadi for her tireless efforts to combat the oppression of women in Iran and her dedication to human rights and freedom. She began her address with the words “woman – life – freedom,” echoing the motto of recent mass protests in Iran.
The chairwoman’s speech went on to recognize the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who have protested against the “theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women” over the past year, a movement spearheaded by Narges Mohammadi.
The Nobel committee’s decision to honor Narges Mohammadi sends a powerful message of disapproval to the Iranian authorities and serves as a testament to the courage and determination of Iranian women, according to the United Nations.
British-Iranian national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was imprisoned alongside Ms. Mohammadi until her release in March 2022, expressed her joy for her friend, describing her as an inspiration and a pillar for women’s rights in Iran.
Narges Mohammadi’s son, Ali Rahmani, who has not seen his mother in eight years, described the award as belonging to the Iranian people and attributed it to the ongoing protests in the country.
Ms. Mohammadi has a history of activism that has come at great personal cost. She has been arrested 13 times, convicted five times, and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison.
Additionally, she received a sentence of 154 lashes, although it remains unclear whether this punishment has been carried out.
Last December, she wrote a harrowing letter from prison to the media, detailing the sexual and physical abuse suffered by Iranian women detained during demonstrations. These protests were sparked by the tragic death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody in September 2022.
Despite the Iranian authorities’ brutal crackdown on the protests, Narges Mohammadi’s commitment to human rights and the empowerment of women in Iran remains unwavering. She serves as the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.
In 2020, she spoke to the media about her dedication to advancing women’s rights:
In my opinion, supporting human rights efforts and actions aimed at achieving freedom and justice anywhere in the world, whether in Iran or any other country, is very important and very heartwarming.
Last year, Narges Mohammadi was honored as one of the BBC’s 100 Women, a prestigious list celebrating inspirational and influential women from around the world.
