The Juvenile Justice Center: On October 6, 2023 (Mehr 14, 1402), the Nobel Peace Prize Selection Committee announced Ms. Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist imprisoned in Iran, as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Narges Mohammadi is the vice president of the Human Rights Defenders Association, headed by Mrs. Shirin Ebadi, who previously received the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the second Iranian woman to win this international award.
Over the past three decades, Narges Mohammadi has been one of Iran’s most active and well-known human rights activists who has spent many years behind bars. She was in prison when she was selected as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. The Iranian government has not yet officially responded to this choice, but this occasion is expected to provide the possibility of her release soon.
Hossein Raeesi, a lawyer and an Iranian human rights activist, in a conversation with the “Juvenile Justice Center” regarding the 2023 election of the Nobel Peace Committee, said: “The election of Mrs. Narges Mohammadi is a valuable choice and a critical event for Iranian society. In addition, the coincidence of this event with the name of freedom and equality in a situation where the Iranian Government is confronting the women of Iran by introducing a new Hejab law, which will impose more restrictions on women, is significant. ”
According to Mr. Raeesi, the election of Mrs. Narges Mohammadi, who has not deviated from non-violent struggle in all the past years, will strengthen the strategy of non-violent struggle from inside Iran.
This lawyer calls Narges Mohammadi one of Iran’s most impactful female activists. While noting the 13 charges laid against her by the state, 31 years of imprisonment and enduring more than 170 lashes, he stresses that: “She has been the most important member of the campaign against the death penalty in recent years inside Iran. She endured the pain of being away from her children and family and made great efforts to change the structure of the religious dictatorship.”
Who is Narges Mohammadi?
Mrs. Narges Mohammadi was born in 1351 in Zanjan and is one of Iran’s human rights activists who endured all kinds of pressures for many years but did not give up her efforts for human rights, democracy, and freedom in Iran. She lived away from her children and tolerated prison and violence.
She completed her studies in applied physics at Qazvin International University and, at the same time, started his political activity in a student association. He was one of the founders of the “Roshangaran Student Association” who was sent to prison because of her efforts in this student Association.
Narges Mohammadi entered the profession of journalism in 1375 and started her career with Payam Hajar magazine. Women, human rights, and student issues were the main focus of her writings.
Later, she joined the Iran Human Rights Defenders Association and worked as a spokesperson and vice president.
In 1378, Narges Mohammadi married Taqi Rahmani, one of the most well-known political activists in prison for many years. Still, the suffering of prison and the forced exile of his wife and children did not allow him to spend many years with his family.
Narges Mohammadi was tortured during her detention and imprisonment and witnessed the torture of other imprisoned women. She has written an article titled “White Torture” about the torture she and other women experienced in the prisons of the Islamic Republic.
Narges Mohammadi is a strong opponent of the Islamic Republic of Iran and one of the critical advocates against compulsory hijab and cruel sentences such as execution. She was one of the first women fighters who publicly removed the mandatory hijab and worked for the freedom of Iranian women.
In 2022, BBC named her among the world’s 100 most inspiring and influential women. The selection of this Iranian woman as the Nobel Peace Prize winner confirms all the awards she has received over the past years for fighting for freedom, democracy and human rights.
The Justice Center for Children praises this choice and congratulates all human rights activists inside and outside Iran.
