The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to present the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 to Narges Mohammadi for her efforts to end women’s persecution in Iran and to promote human rights and freedom for all. Her courageous struggle has cost her dearly. The dictatorship has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.
Mahsa Jina Amini, a young Kurdish woman, was slain in the custody of the Iranian morality police in September 2022. Her assassination sparked the largest political protests against Iran’s theocratic leadership since it came to power in 1979. Hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in peaceful rallies against the government’s violence and abuse of women under the motto “Woman – Life – Freedom.” The dictatorship reacted violently to the protests, killing around 500 people. Thousands were injured, including many who were blinded by police rubber bullets. At least 20,000 people were imprisoned and detained by the dictatorship.
The motto adopted by the demonstrators – “Woman – Life – Freedom” – suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi.
- Woman – She advocates for women who face systematic discrimination and persecution.
- Life. She is an advocate for women’s rights to live full and dignified lives. Persecution, incarceration, torture, and even death have greeted this effort across Iran.
- Freedom. She works for freedom of expression and independence, as well as against restrictions that require women to remain hidden and conceal their bodies. Demonstrators’ demands for freedom extend to the entire population, not just women.
The Nobel Committee has awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi of Iran, currently imprisoned, for her efforts to ensure human rights for women.
As a young physics student in the 1990s, Narges Mohammadi was already establishing herself as a champion for equality and women’s rights. She worked as an engineer and a columnist in numerous reform-minded periodicals after finishing her education. In 2003, she joined the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Tehran, which was created by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. Ms Mohammadi was arrested for the first time in 2011 and sentenced to prison for many years for her efforts to support incarcerated activists and their families.
Two years later, after her release on bail, Ms. Mohammadi immersed herself in a campaign against the use of the death penalty. Iran has long been among the countries that execute the highest proportion of their inhabitants annually. Just since January 2022, more than 860 prisoners have been punished by death in Iran.
Fig: An Iranian human rights activist and journalist wins Nobel Peace Prize
Ms Mohammadi’s campaigning against the death penalty resulted in her re-arrest in 2015 and an additional year behind bars. When she returned to prison, she began to oppose the regime’s systemic use of torture and sexualized violence against political prisoners, particularly women, in Iranian prisons.
The political detainees housed at Tehran’s notorious Evin jail were made aware of last year’s wave of protests. Ms Mohammadi gained command once more. She conveyed her support for the demonstrators from prison and organized solidarity actions among her fellow inmates. The jail administration retaliated by setting even tighter conditions.
Ms Mohammadi was prohibited from receiving calls and visitors. She nevertheless managed to smuggle out an article that the New York Times published on the one-year anniversary of Mahsa Jina Amini’s killing. The message was: “The more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.” From captivity, Ms Mohammadi has helped to ensure that the protests have not ebbed out.
Narges Mohammadi is a female human rights activist and liberation fighter. The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to honor her brave fight for human rights, freedom, and democracy in Iran by awarding her this year’s Nobel Peace Prize. This year’s Peace Prize also recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who demonstrated against theocratic regime’s practices of discrimination and persecution against women in the preceding year.
Only by adopting equal rights for all will the world attain the international fraternity that Alfred Nobel wished to promote. Narges Mohammadi’s achievement continues a long tradition of the Norwegian Nobel Committee awarding the Peace Prize to those seeking to enhance social fairness, human rights, and democracy. These are critical prerequisites for long-term peace.
