Narges Mohammadi wins the Nobel Peace Prize for fighting the oppression of women in Iran

PTI, Oct 6, 2023, 2:57 PM IST

Credit: @NobelPrize / X

Oslo: Imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize Friday for fighting the oppression of women in Iran.

“She fights for women against systematic discrimination and oppression,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee who announced the prize in Oslo.

Authorities arrested Mohammadi in November after she attended a memorial for a victim of violent 2019 protests. Mohammadi has a long history of imprisonment, harsh sentences and international calls for reviews of her case.

Before being jailed, Mohammadi was vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Centre in Iran. Mohammadi has been close to Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, who founded the centre.

BREAKING NEWS
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2023 #NobelPeacePrize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.#NobelPrize pic.twitter.com/2fyzoYkHyf

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023

Ebadi left Iran after the disputed re-election of then-President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2009 that touched off unprecedented protests and harsh crackdowns by authorities. In 2018, Mohammadi, an engineer, was awarded the 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize.

In 2022, Mohammadi was tried in five minutes and sentenced to eight years in prison and 70 lashes.

The Nobel Prizes carry a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about USD 1 million). Winners also receive an 18-carat gold medal and diploma at the award ceremonies in December.

As a young physics student Mohammadi distinguished herself as an advocate for equality and women’s rights. In 2011 she was arrested for the first time and sentenced to many years of imprisonment for her efforts to assist incarcerated activists and their families.#NobelPrize

— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023