OSLO, Norway (AP) — Imprisoned activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her courageous fight against the oppression of women in Iran.
“This prize is not only a recognition of Narges Mohammadi’s important work, but also of the entire movement in Iran that she openly leads,” said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, at the prize announcement in Oslo. “While the impact of the prize cannot be determined by us, we hope it serves as an encouragement for the movement to continue their vital work in any way they see fit.”
Mohammadi was arrested in November following her attendance at a memorial for a victim of the violent 2019 protests. She has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times, resulting in a staggering total of 31 years behind bars.
She joins the ranks of the 19 women who have received the Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the second Iranian woman to achieve this honor after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003.
Mohammadi’s imprisonment coincided with the nationwide protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in the custody of the country’s morality police. This incident sparked one of the most intense challenges to Iran’s theocracy since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The security crackdown resulted in over 500 deaths and the arrest of more than 22,000 individuals.
Despite her confinement, Mohammadi managed to contribute an opinion piece to The New York Times, stating, “What the government may not understand is that the more of us they lock up, the stronger we become.”
There has been no immediate reaction from Iranian state television and other state-controlled media, although some semi-official news agencies have acknowledged Mohammadi’s win based on foreign press reports.
Prior to her arrest, Mohammadi served as the vice president of the banned Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. She has been closely associated with Shirin Ebadi, the founder of the center.
In 2018, Mohammadi, an engineer, was bestowed with the Andrei Sakharov Prize for her relentless commitment to human rights.
With the Nobel Peace Prize, Mohammadi will receive a cash award of 11 million Swedish kronor (about $1 million), along with an 18-carat gold medal and diploma at the award ceremonies held in December.
The recipient of this prestigious award is chosen by a panel of experts in Norway from a list of over 350 nominations.
Last year’s prize was awarded to human rights activists from Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia, serving as a powerful rebuke to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart.
Previous winners of the Nobel Peace Prize include Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Mikhail Gorbachev, Aung San Suu Kyi, and the United Nations.
Unlike the other Nobel prizes, which are announced in Stockholm, the peace prize is decided and awarded in Oslo by the five-member Norwegian Nobel Committee. This independent panel is appointed by the Norwegian parliament.
The Nobel Prizes season will conclude next week with the announcement of the winner of the economics prize, formally known as the Bank of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel.
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