“This year’s winner is a woman and a human rights fighter. Great personal sacrifices were made in the struggle for freedom of expression and women’s human rights. Iranian authorities arrested him 13 times and sentenced him to 31 years in prison and 154 whippings.”
The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced this on the 6th (local time), announcing that it had selected Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi (51) as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize winner. The Nobel Committee said, “This year’s Nobel Peace Prize honors the hundreds of thousands of people who participated in protests against the Iranian government’s discriminatory and oppressive policies against women last year. “The slogan ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ shouted by the protesters at the time aptly expresses the dedication and efforts of the winner, Mohammadi,” he explained. Anti-government protests spread throughout Iran following the mysterious death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who was being investigated by moral police for violating hijab regulations in September last year.
Mohammadi, who was a young physics student, became a women’s rights activist in the 1990s and worked as a columnist for a progressive newspaper. In 2003, she moved to Iran and joined the non-governmental organization Human Rights Defenders Center (DHRC), where she currently holds the position of deputy director of the centre. This center was founded by Shirin Ebadi (76, female), an Iranian civil activist and human rights lawyer who became the first Muslim woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
Mohammadi, who has been repeatedly detained and released, was sentenced to prison in 2021 on charges of disseminating anti-state propaganda and is imprisoned in a prison in the capital, Tehran. On the 1st, as suspicions spread in Iran that a 16-year-old woman named Armita Gerawandra was beaten by police for violating hijab regulations and fell into a coma, Mohammadi said through social networking service (SNS), “The government will tell the truth about Armita.” “They are trying to cover it up,” he criticized in prison.
On this day, Mohammadi’s family expressed their thoughts on behalf of the imprisoned person, saying, “We honor the Iranian women and girls who have captivated the world with their courage in fighting for freedom and equality.” At the same time, he quoted something Mohammadi often said, saying, “Victory is not easy, but it will definitely come.”
CNN assessed, “Nagress Mohammadi’s name has become synonymous with the struggle for human rights in Iran.” The Washington Post reported, “This year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be an opportunity for the world to pay attention to those fighting for women’s human rights in countries in the Middle East.” Reuters also reported, “Mohammadi’s award could anger Tehran (the Iranian government).”
Nobel Committee Chairman Reiss Andersen said, “If the Iranian government makes the right decision, I hope they will release Mohammadi and allow him to attend the award ceremony in December.”
Nagres Mohammadi
Berit Reiss-Andersen
Shrine Ebadi
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.