The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded right now to Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist whose “struggle in opposition to the oppression of girls in Iran and her struggle to advertise human rights and freedom for all” was cited by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.
With right now’s announcement, Mohammadi turns into the fifth individual to obtain the Nobel Peace Prize whereas incarcerated.
“Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 occasions, convicted her 5 occasions, and sentenced her to a complete of 31 years in jail and 154 lashes,” stated Committee Chair Berit Reiss-Andersen in asserting the award recipient. “Ms Mohammadi continues to be in jail as I communicate.”
Mohammadi has been an advocate for ladies’s rights since her days as a physics scholar within the Nineteen Nineties, and got here to worldwide consideration following her arrest throughout protests within the wake of the homicide of the younger Kurdish girl Mahsa Jina Amini by the Iranian morality police.
“Below the slogan ‘Lady – Life – Freedom,’ lots of of hundreds of Iranians took half in peaceable protests in opposition to the authorities’ brutality and oppression of girls,” Reiss-Andersen stated. “The regime cracked down laborious on the protests: greater than 500 demonstrators have been killed. Hundreds have been injured, together with many who have been blinded by rubber bullets fired by the police. At the very least 20 000 individuals have been arrested and held in regime custody. The motto adopted by the demonstrators – ‘Lady – Life – Freedom’ – suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi.”
“Narges Mohammadi is a lady, a human rights advocate, and a freedom fighter,” Reiss-Andersen continued. “In awarding her this yr’s Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee needs to honour her brave struggle for human rights, freedom, and democracy in Iran.”
