Jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian activist, was named as the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday “for
her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

The closely watched announcement, made by the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, comes after women-led protests in Iran that convulsed the country following the death in police custody of a 22-year-old who had been arrested by the country’s morality police.

Atena Daemi, a prominent Iranian activist, said in a statement from Tehran that “giving the award to Narges Mohammadi will elevate the justice seeking voice of ‘Women, Life, Freedom’ and boost hopes for achieving freedom, human rights and justice.”

Narges Mohammadi vowed on Friday to stay in Iran and continue her activism, even if that means spending the rest of her life in prison.

“I will never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom and equality,” she said in a statement released after the Nobel announcement. “Surely, the Nobel Peace Prize will make me more resilient, determined, hopeful and enthusiastic on this path, and it will accelerate my pace.”

Maryam Foumani, an Iranian journalist and women’s rights activist who lives in London, said in a post on X that the award for Mohammadi showed that “the world has heard the voices of civil society inside Iran.” Whether “in front of the prison or behind its walls, in cemeteries or the streets of the city, Narges has been the loud voice of protest and justice, and I am happy that this voice resonates with #woman-life-freedom,” a reference to the women-led protest movement in Iran. “Congratulations to all of us.”