Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi awarded 2023 Nobel Peace Prize
Narges Mohammadi seen at her home in Tehran in 2001. Mohammadi, now imprisoned, was awarded the 2023 Nobel
Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Price for “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran”.
Key points:
- Narges Mohammadi has been imprisoned in Iran since 2015
- She is the 19th woman to win the prize in 122 years
- The Nobel Prize will be officially awarded at a ceremony in December
Ms Mohammadi is one of Iran’s leading human rights activists, and has campaigned for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty.
She is currently serving multiple sentences in Tehran’s Evin Prison amounting to about 12 years’ imprisonment, according to the Front Line Defenders rights organisation, one of the many periods she has been detained behind bars.
The charges against her include spreading propaganda against the state.
She is the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), a non-governmental organisation led by Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Her husband and children have lived in exile in France since her imprisonment in 2015.
Ms Mohammadi has repeatedly spoken out against the Iranian government from behind bars, speaking to media in written responses through intermediaries.
In comments sent to CNN just hours before the announcement, Ms Mohammadi said the government’s crackdown on protest was “indicative of its concerted efforts to prevent the truth from coming to light”.
In another lengthy letter earlier this year she wrote: “Women who experience sexual harassment become filled with anger, fear, and insecurity.
“But when their womanhood is hidden and suppressed by ideological and religious claims, they will not only be angry and terrified, but they will also feel deceived and manipulated by the government, which is even more distressing.”
Her husband, Taghi Ramahi, said the prize would “embolden” her human rights fight.
“But more importantly, this is in fact a prize for the woman, life and freedom [movement],” he said.
She is the 19th woman to win the 122-year-old prize and the first since Maria Ressa of the Philippines was jointly awarded the prize with Russia’s Dmitry Muratov in 2021.
“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran, with its undisputed leader, Narges Mohammadi,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
“If the Iranian authorities make the right decision, they will release her so that she can be present to receive this honour [in December], which is what we primarily hope for.”
The Nobel Prize comes with a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor ($1.57 million), an 18-carat gold medal and an award ceremony in December.
ABC/Reuters
