Iranian Narges Mohammadi wins 2023 Nobel Peace Prize

"I am exceptionally proud of you, and I miss you dearly," Narges Mohammadi's 17-year-old Kiana Rahmani said. 

Her mother, who is being held in Tehran's notorious Evin Prison, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday.

"This Nobel Prize isn't just for my mother. It is for Iran, especially Iranian women," Rahmani told the Reuters news agency.

Kiana Rahmani, who lives in Paris with her father and brother, said she hoped her mother "will soon be freed from jail to join us."

Rahmani, who has been separated from her mother for eight years.

Mohammadi was quoted by The New York Times as saying she would never stop striving for democracy and equality, even if that meant staying in prison.

It is a fight her teenage daughter said is worth fighting by all Iranian women. 

"Keep fighting for a better future," she said.

This live coverage article is now closed. You can read more about Narges Mohammadi's Nobel Peace Prize below. 

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres hailed the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Narges Mohammadi saying it is a reminder that women's rights are facing a strong pushback.

"This Nobel Peace Prize is a tribute to all those women who are fighting for their rights at the risk of their freedom, their health and even their lives," Guterres said in a statement.

In March, the UN boss expressed concern that "gender equality is growing more distant" and was still 300 years away.

Iran criticized the Nobel committee for awarding the Peace Prize to jailed rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi, calling it biased and political.

"We note that the Nobel Peace Committee awarded the Peace Prize to a person who was convicted of repeated violations of laws and criminal acts," Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a statement. "We condemn this biased and political move."

Kanaani said it aligned with some European countries' "anti-Iranian policies." 

Iran's state news agency IRNA accused the Nobel Peace Prize committee of politicizing the issue of human rights by honoring jailed rights activist Narges Mohammadi.

"Awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to a person who has been convicted under the laws of a country and is currently serving a prison sentence can only be called politicizing the concept of human rights and acting in a meddling manner," IRNA said in a report about the prize.

The United States on Friday hailed the courage of imprisoned Iranian women's activist Narges Mohammadi after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

"Narges Mohammadi is a hero to so many in Iran and around the world," Abram Paley, the acting US envoy on Iran, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "Today, the entire world stands united in recognizing her courage." 

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, who won the award in 2003, said she hoped this year's prize would bring democracy and equality to Iranian women.

"I congratulate Narges Mohammadi and all Iranian women for this prize ... This prize will shed light on violation of women's rights in the Islamic Republic ... which unfortunately has proven that it cannot be reformed," Ebadi told Reuters news agency.

Narges Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the second Iranian woman after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi to win one of the world's most coveted awards.

Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi said in a statement to the New York Times (NYT) on Friday that global support and recognition of her human rights advocacy makes her "more resolved, more responsible, more passionate and more hopeful."

"Standing alongside the brave mothers of Iran,” she added, "I will continue to fight against the relentless discrimination, tyranny and gender-based oppression by the oppressive religious government until the liberation of women."

"I also hope this recognition makes Iranians protesting for change stronger and more organized. Victory is near," Mohammadi said, according to an NYT post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

Iranian Political analyst and former TV host Sima Sebat, who interviewed Narges Mohammadi numerous times, told DW that she "is one of the bravest women on earth."

"I remember once I was interviewing her and she was accompanying another political prisoner into Elvin prison. I said: 'You're going to do the interview live in front of Elvin prison' and she said: 'Yes. I'm not scared of them.'"

Reacting to the Nobel Peace Prize announcement, Sebat said the award "does send a clear signal to the Islamic Republic." 

"They try to show that everything is normal in Iranian women's lives but it's not. This international recognition of one of the most known political activists and human rights activists gives hope to Iranian women. At the moment there are thousands of Iranian women in jail," she told DW.

The United Nations called on Tehran to free Narges Mohammadi and all human rights defenders jailed by the Islamic Republic's leaders.

The UN human rights office was reacting after imprisoned Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

"The women of Iran have been an inspiration for the world," the UN human rights office told AFP news agency.

"Their courage and determination in the face of reprisals, intimidation, violence and detention has been remarkable. They have been harassed for what they wear and what they do not wear, and face increasingly stringent legal, social and economic measures against them.

"Narges Mohammadi's case is emblematic of the huge risks that women take to advocate for the rights of all Iranians. We call for her release and the release of all human rights defenders jailed in Iran," the statement said.

Mohammadi, 51, a journalist and activist, has spent much of the past two decades in and out of prison for her campaign against the mandatory hijab for women and the death penalty.

A semi-official Iranian news agency said jailed women's rights advocate Narges Mohammadi had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for "her actions against Iran's national security."

"Narges Mohammadi received her prize from the Westerners," the Fars news agency reported, adding that she "had made headlines multiple times due to her acts against the national security."

Iranian authorities have yet to comment on the award.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz tweeted his congratulations to Nages Mohammadi on her Nobel Prize win.

The chancellor wrote the following on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter:

"Arrested 13 times. Sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison. My respect goes to this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner  for her courage and her fight for the rights of Iranian women: Narges Mohammadi."

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the award demonstrates the crucial role of women in the fight for freedom:

She said Mohammadi's win "shows women's power for freedom", adding her "fearless voice cannot be locked up, the future of Iran is its women", in a post on X

. 

Narges Mohammadi's family has described the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to her as a "historic and profound moment for Iran's fight for freedom," while regretting that she could not share this "extraordinary moment."

Her family said on her official Instagram page, which they maintain while she is behind bars, that the honor belongs to all Iranians, "especially the courageous women and girls of Iran who have captivated the world with their bravery in fighting for freedom and equality."

"This prestigious recognition serves as an enduring testament to the Narges Mohammadi's tireless civic and peaceful work in bringing change and freedom to Iran," the family said.

"Regrettably, Narges is not with us to share this extraordinary moment ... We cannot witness her joyous reaction to this remarkable and splendid news due to her unjust imprisonment," the statement added.

"As Narges always says: Victory is not easy, but it's certain."

Mohammadi's husband Taghi Rahmani gave an interview to Reuters news agency later Friday:

"This Nobel Prize will embolden Narges' fight for human rights, but more importantly, this is, in fact, a prize for the woman, life and freedom (movement)," he said from his home in Paris.

Mohammadi was honored "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.

"Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes," Reiss-Andersen said in the jury's citation.

"The impact of the prize is not for the Nobel committee to decide upon. We hope that it is an encouragement to continue the work in whichever form this movement finds to be fitting," she added.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Reiss-Andersen called for Mohammadi's release.

"If the Iranian authorities make the right decision, they will release her. So she can be present to receive this honor, which is what we primarily hope for," she said.

Iranian campaigner Narges Mohammadi has for decades campaigned on the most sensitive issues in the Islamic Republic.

She has opposed pillars of the clerical system including capital punishment and the obligatory hijab, and defiantly refuses to give up her campaigning even behind bars.

She has not seen her children for eight years, has spent most of her recent life in prison and acknowledges there is no immediate prospect of release.

First arrested 22 years ago, the 51-year-old has spent much of the past two decades in and out of jail over her unstinting campaigning for human rights in Iran.

She has most recently been incarcerated since November 2021.

Born in 1972 in Zanjan, in the northwest of Iran, Mohammadi studied physics before becoming an engineer.

But she then launched a new career in journalism, working for newspapers that were at the time part of the reformist movement.

In the 2000s, she joined the Center for Human Rights Defenders, founded by the Iranian lawyer Shirin Ebadi, Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2003, fighting in particular for the abolition of the death penalty.

In her book "White Torture", Mohammadi denounced prisoners' conditions of detention, in particular the use of solitary confinement, which she says she herself also suffered.

Regular updates about the situation in prison are posted on her Instagram account run by her family. 

Mohammadi told AFP in September she was currently serving a combined sentence of 10 years and nine months in prison, had also been sentenced to 154 lashes and had five cases against her linked to her activities in jail alone.

Amnesty International describes her as a prisoner of conscience who has been arbitrarily detained.

While she could only witness from behind bars the protests that broke out following the death in September last year, of Jina Mahsa Amini — who had been arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women — she says the movement made clear the levels of dissatisfaction in society.

Mohammadi and fellow inmates staged a symbolic protest in the yard of Evin prison by burning their headscarves during the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.

Narges Mohammadi is the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced Friday.

"The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all," the committee said in its citation.

Mohammadi is one of Iran's leading human rights activists, who has campaigned for women's rights and the abolition of the death penalty.

She is currently serving multiple sentences in Tehran's Evin Prison amounting to about 12 years imprisonment, according to the Front Line Defenders rights organization, one of the many periods she has held behind bars.

Charges include spreading propaganda against the state.

Mohammadi's award comes after a wave of protests that swept Iran after the death in custody a year ago of a young Iranian Kurd, Jina Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women.

Mohammadi was picked from 351 candidates this year for the world's most significant peace prize.

They included 259 individuals and 92 organizations.

Mohammadi joins the ranks of Mother Teresa, former US President Jimmy Carter and the International Campaign to Ban Landmines as winners of the world's most famous peace prize.