Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi awarded Nobel Peace Prize
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday. She is currently being held in the high-security Evin prison in Tehran.
Mohammadi, 51, has been awarded the prize in recognition of her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her commitment to freedom for all. She leads the Defenders of Human Rights Center with Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. The NGO pushes for more women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran.
The Nobel committee, through its chair Berit Reiss-Andersen, said it hoped Iran will now release Mohammadi. The UN called the award of the prize a crowning achievement for “the courage and determination of Iranian women”, while her family called it a “historic and important moment for the struggle for freedom in Iran”.
Woman, Life, Freedom
European Council president Charles Michel described Mohammadi as “a beacon of hope for oppressed women everywhere”, saying on X: “Her fight for human rights and freedom inspires us all. It is a reminder – only where women are safe is everybody safe.”
Mohammadi is one of Iran’s most prominent human rights activists and has been repeatedly jailed by the regime. Last year, during the Woman, Life, Freedom uprising that followed the death of Mahsa Amini – the 22-year-old woman who died after being arrested by the morality police – she uncovered the suspected torture of dozens of women in Evin prison.
"Her fight for human rights and freedom inspires us all. It is a reminder – only where women are safe is everybody safe"
She is the 19th woman to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, considered the most important political award in the world. Last year, it went to human rights activists from Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. The award ceremony will be held on 10 December.
"Even from prison, Narges Mohammadi continues to find the strength to continue her struggle and offer inspiration to younger generations," Flemish Peace Institute director Nils Duquet said in a press release.
Belgian aid worker Olivier Vandecasteele was also held in Evin prison until his release earlier this year. Iranian-Swedish professor Ahmadreza Djalali, a guest lecturer at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, is currently being held there, having been sentenced to death.
© PHOTO NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION / AFP
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