Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Mohammadi was given the prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran. The jailed activist was also recognised for her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
“Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal cost. 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. Ms Mohammadi is still in prison as I speak,” Berit Reiss-Andersen, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, the Guardian reported.
Mohammadi is the fourth laureate who has been awarded the honour while in prison. “The motto adopted by the demonstrators — ‘Woman – Life – Freedom’ – suitably expresses the dedication and work of Narges Mohammadi,” the Norwegian Nobel Committee said, the New York Times reported.
“She supports women’s struggle for the right to live full and dignified lives,” Reiss-Andersen said. “This struggle, across Iran, has been met with persecution imprisonment, torture and even death.”
Mohammadi is currently serving multiple sentences in Tehran's Evin Prison amounting to about 12 years imprisonment, according to a Reuters report. She is the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a non-governmental organisation led by 2003 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.
Earlier this year, Mohammadi won the UN World Press Freedom Prize. Previous winners of the Nobel Prize for Peace include Nelson Mandela, Barack Obama, Mikhail Gorbachev and Aung San Sui among others.
The Nobel Prize for Economics will be announced on Monday.
