The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to imprisoned women’s rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi, honoured for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran.
Mohammadi was honoured “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.
2023 #NobelPeacePrize laureate Narges Mohammadi’s brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. The Iranian regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Mohammadi is still in prison. pic.twitter.com/ooDEZAVX01
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) October 6, 2023
Here are 10 facts about Narges Mohammadi, the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023:
1. Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian women’s rights campaigner who has dedicated her life to advocating for human rights, particularly women’s rights, in Iran.
2. She has been a prominent activist against the mandatory hijab for women and has campaigned against the death penalty.
3. Narges Mohammadi is the vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre, an organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.
4. She has been repeatedly arrested and incarcerated, with a total of 13 arrests, five convictions, and a cumulative sentence of 31 years in prison, along with 154 lashes.
5. The Norwegian Nobel Committee recognized her courageous and unwavering struggle for human rights, women’s rights, and freedom for all in Iran.
6. Mohammadi’s activism and advocacy have come at significant personal cost, including extended periods of separation from her family, including her twin children.
7. Despite facing immense challenges and being in and out of prison since her first arrest 22 years ago, she remains determined in her commitment to human rights.
8. She has highlighted the dissatisfaction and protest movements within Iranian society, even while being imprisoned.
9. Narges Mohammadi believes that the struggle for democracy, equality, and freedom must continue until these goals are achieved, even though her own freedom remains uncertain.
10. Born in 1972 in Zanjan, Iran, she initially studied physics but later transitioned into a career in journalism, becoming a voice for those who could not speak out against human rights abuses in Iran.
