Iran activist Narges wins peace Nobel

FE Team | Published: October 06, 2023 23:34:07

Narges Mohammadi

OSLO, Oct 6 (AFP): The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded on Friday to imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran, many of whom are removing their hijabs despite a harsh crackdown.
Mohammadi's award comes after a wave of protests swept Iran following the death in custody a year ago of a young Iranian Kurd, Mahsa Amini, arrested for violating Iran's strict dress rules for women.
A 51-year-old journalist and activist, Mohammadi has spent much of the past two decades in and out of jail for her campaign against the mandatory hijab for women and the death penalty.
Speaking to AFP, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee urged Iran to release Mohammadi, a call echoed by the United Nations. "I appeal to Iran: Do something dignified and release the Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi," committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said.
The recent protests in Iran "accelerated the process of realising democracy, freedom and equality in Iran", a process that is now "irreversible", Mohammadi told AFP last month in a letter written from her prison cell.
She and three other women held with her at Tehran's Evin prison burned their hijabs to mark the anniversary of Amini's death on September 16.
Mohammadi, who flaunts long black curls, was honoured "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all", Reiss-Andersen said.
"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," she added.