Mohammadi, an indomitable fighter for Iranian women's rights
The journalist Narges Mohammadi has been fighting for women's rights in Iran for three decades, an indomitable work that has cost her years in prison and the Nobel Peace Prize today.
One of the most important human rights activists in the Iran of the ayatollahs, Mohammadi received the prestigious award in Evin prison, where she is serving a 10-year sentence for "spreading propaganda against the state".
BREAKING NEWS
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2023 #NobelPeacePrize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/2fyzoYkHyf
Mohammadi, 51, has spent the last few decades in and out of Iranian prisons for her constant struggle against some of the pillars of the Islamic Republic, such as the death penalty, abortion and the compulsory veil.
Her imprisonment has not prevented her from continuing her struggle behind bars, where she has written articles, promoted civil disobedience and supported the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
Activism
The activist was born in the northern city of Zanjan in 1972 into a middle-class family, the daughter of a cook and farmer.
She studied physics and worked as an engineer, but focused her career on journalism and soon began working with civil society groups to advocate for women's and minority rights.
These political concerns led her to join the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, a group founded by Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, winner of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize, and focused on the abolition of the death penalty.
2023 peace laureate Narges Mohammadi is a woman, a human rights advocate, and a freedom fighter. This year’s #NobelPeacePrize also recognises the hundreds of thousands of people who have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression… pic.twitter.com/U3DhCvYE3A
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023
Her activism has led to 13 arrests and five convictions totalling 31 years' imprisonment and 154 lashes. Three more cases are currently pending before the Iranian judiciary.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, has spent 14 years behind bars, also for his activism, and lives in exile in Paris with his twin sons, who have not seen their mother for years.
Her courage has earned Mohammadi numerous awards, such as the 2022 Reporters Without Borders Courage Award and last year's Unesco Guillermo Cano Press Freedom Prize.
"Narges Mohammadi has been an indomitable voice against the Iranian government's repression despite being one of its most persecuted targets," Kenneth Roth, the director of Human Rights Watch from 1993 to 2022, said of her.
The Oslo-based Nobel Prize rewards Mohammadi "for her struggle against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all".
The Norwegian committee said the prize "also recognises the hundreds of thousands of people who have spoken out against the theocratic regime's policies of discrimination and oppression against women".
2023 #NobelPeacePrize laureate Narges Mohammadi’s brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. The Iranian regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Mohammadi is still in prison. pic.twitter.com/ooDEZAVX01
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023
The Nobel also recognises the thousands of people who took to the streets of Iran to demand more freedoms after the death of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the so-called morality police in September 2022.
Demonstrators called for an end to the Islamic Republic in protests that died down after a heavy state crackdown that left 500 dead, thousands arrested and seven people executed.
