Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian activist has been awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her dedicated efforts against the ‘oppression of women’ in Iran and her advocacy for human rights and freedom.
Along with Narges Mohammadi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee also acknowledged the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who protested against discrimination and oppression targeting women in the country.
Narges Mohammadi, currently imprisoned in Iran, expressed her resolve and hope in response to the global support for her human rights advocacy.
The committee hopes this recognition will encourage the broader movement in Iran, and they urged the Iranian government to release her before the prize ceremony on December 10.
While the international community applauded the award, Iranian authorities dismissed Mohammadi as a troublemaker. Mohammadi has a history of imprisonment for her civil rights activities and is known for protesting prison conditions and violence against inmates.
She is the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center and has received other prestigious awards for her work. The award sheds light on the Iranian people’s struggle for human rights, according to Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam of Iran Human Rights.
Reporters Without Borders and various international figures also called for her release, emphasizing her role in advocating for women’s rights in Iran.
Iranian artists and activists welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize recognition, with many expressing their support for Mohammadi’s courage and dedication to the cause of freedom and equality for women in Iran.
Her family thanked Iranians and especially women and girls for their bravery in the fight for freedom and equality.
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Who is Narges Mohammadi and why is she in prison?
Mohammadi, 51, is now the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a non-governmental organization led by Shirin Ebadi, the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
Family ‘exceptionally proud’
Mohammadi has been unable to see her children for seven years and her husband for 15 because of her incarceration, husband Taghi Rahmani says.
“I am exceptionally proud of you, and I miss you dearly,” said Mohammadi’s daughter.
