Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women
Tehran: Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, who has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women, has become synonymous with the battle for human rights in Iran.
However, the ‘brave struggle’ of Mohammadi has come at tremendous personal cost, CNN reported on Friday.
Mohammadi (51), who has been a defiant voice for women’s rights in Iran, has been sentenced to more than 30 years in prison and has been banned from seeing her husband and children.
“Altogether, the Iranian regime has arrested the activist 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison, and 154 lashes,” Norwegian Nobel Committee chair Berit Reiss-Andersen said at the announcement ceremony.
Although it is not certain whether Mohammadi has got to know about her award, her family’s reaction to the recognition has been positive.
Mohammadi’s friends and family told CNN that those detained in Iran’s Evin Prison are not allowed to receive calls on Thursdays and Fridays.
In the statement, Mohammadi said she would stay in Iran to continue her activism “even if I spend the rest of my life in prison.”
“Standing alongside the brave mothers of Iran, I will continue to fight against the relentless discrimination, tyranny, and gender-based oppression by the oppressive religious government until the liberation of women,” CNN quoted Mohammadi as saying.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, has said that the prize is “for all the people of Iran.” Rahmani, a fellow activist and former political prisoner who served a total of 14 years in regime jails lives in exile in France with their twin children.
“This prize is not just for Narges; it is for all the people of Iran. A movement in which Iranian women and men took to the streets, stood for months, and fought to show that they will continue to struggle for democracy and civil equality,” CNN quoted Rahmani as saying.
