Jailed Iranian Activist Wins Nobel Peace Prize

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Facts

  • Imprisoned human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize in honor of her campaign for women's rights in Iran and 'her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all,' the Norwegian Nobel Committee announced on Friday.1
  • Mohammadi, who has advocated for women's rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, is the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center — founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.2
  • According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the 2023 Nobel Prize 'recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who in the preceding year have demonstrated against the theocratic regimes' policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women.'3
  • Vowing to be 'more resilient, determined, hopeful, and enthusiastic,' Mohammadi, currently serving a combined 31-year jail term, said she will 'never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom, and equality.'4
  • Meanwhile, responding to the news, family members of Mohammadi — who is barred from seeing her husband and children — said that the award was a 'source of solace for our indescribable suffering.'5
  • However, Iran criticized the move, claiming that the decision to award the prize 'to a person who was convicted of repeated violations of laws and criminal acts' is political and inconsistent with the Nobel Peace Prize's original purpose.6

Sources: 1BBC News, 2Al Jazeera, 3CNN, 4Associated Press, 5Sky news and 6Guardian.

Narratives

  • Anti-Iran narrative, as provided by Guardian. The Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi is a rebuke to Tehran's theocratic leaders and a boost for anti-government protesters. It highlights the bravery of Iranian women who have demonstrated tremendous courage in the face of reprisals, intimidation, violence, and detention.
  • Pro-Iran narrative, as provided by Irna. By giving the Nobel Peace Prize to a criminal charged with spreading propaganda against the state and endangering national security, the West — which uses women's rights and equality to destabilize independent nations — is seeking to flare up anti-Iran tensions in the region, highlighting the paradoxical nature of this decision.