Iranian feminist activist wins Nobel Peace Prize 2023

This year's Nobel Peace Prize went to Iranian activist and journalist Narges Mohammadi, who fought for women's rights in the country.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee decided to award the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Iranian activist and journalist Narges Mohammadi for "her efforts to fight for women's rights in Iran, promoting human rights and freedom for all" , Ms. Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, announced today.

The award ceremony will take place at Oslo City Hall on December 10, during which the Nobel Peace Prize recipient will be awarded a medal, a certificate and a prize of 11 million Swedish krona ($986,000). However, Mohammadi will likely not be able to attend the award ceremony, because she is serving a prison sentence of more than 10 years in Evin prison camp, Tehran, Iran for many crimes, including illegal propaganda.

Iranian activist and journalist Narges Mohammadi. (Photo: Reuters).

Mohammadi, 51, has fought for 30 years to bring fundamental change to Iran through education and other peaceful means. She is one of Iran's leading human rights activists, campaigning for women's rights and the abolition of the death penalty.

Mohammadi is also deputy head of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, a non-governmental organization headed by Shirrin Ebadi, recipient of the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize. She is the 19th woman in the history of the Nobel Peace Prize.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, Ms. Mohammadi was arrested 13 times and sentenced 5 times to a total prison term of 31 years. Even while in prison, she vehemently spoke out against the detention conditions for female prisoners.

When the "Women, Life, Freedom" protest movement broke out in Iran after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, the Kurdish girl was arrested by the "morality police" force in the capital Tehran on charges of forced to wear headscarves illegally, she strongly supported them from inside prison.

According to a post on her social media account, Mohammadi organized the hijab burning protest from inside Evin prison on the anniversary of Amini's death. She also conducts weekly seminars in prison for female prisoners, teaching them about their rights.

"If Iranian officials make the right decision, they will release Mohammadi so she can receive this award. This is what we hope for ," Ms. Reiss-Anderson said after announcing the Nobel Peace Prize.

Elizabeth Throssell, spokeswoman for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), said the Nobel Peace Prize awarded to Mohammadi "highlights the courage and determination of Iranian women and how they inspire the world." gender".

Mohammadi's family described it as "a historic moment for Iran's fight for freedom".

The Nobel Peace Prize is chosen by a five-person committee selected by the Norwegian parliament. According to Nobel's founder's will, the prize is awarded to individuals and organizations "who have made great contributions to promoting solidarity among nations, reducing or disarming standing armed forces, organizing and promote peace conferences".

This year's Nobel Peace Prize has 351 candidates, including 259 individuals and 92 organizations. This is the year with the second highest number of candidates in the award's history, and the 8th consecutive year the number of candidates exceeded 300. The current record is 2016 with 376 candidates. The nomination list is kept secret for 50 years, but the nominating person or organization is allowed to reveal their candidates.

The Nobel Peace Prize is always closely scrutinized for the message it can send to the world. In 2022, the award went to human rights activist Ales Bialiatski in Belarus, the human rights organization Memorial in Russia and the Ukraine-based Center for Civil Liberties.

The 2021 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov, two Filipino and Russian journalists, for their "efforts to protect freedom of expression". In 2020, the prize was awarded to the World Food Program (WFP) for its efforts to fight hunger and contribute to world peace.