2023-11-01 15:56:26
In a message smuggled from her cell, Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi harshly criticizes those in power in Iran: She accuses the mullahs in Tehran of ruling the country and society for 45 years “with lies, deception, cunning and intimidation.” plunge into poverty and endanger “peace and stability” worldwide. Mohammadi has been in prison since November 2021 for “propaganda against the state”.
How the message was managed to be smuggled out of the notorious Evin Prison in the Iranian capital Tehran remained unclear. It was read out in French by Mohammadi’s 17-year-old daughter Kiana Rahmani and published on the official Nobel website on Tuesday evening.
The 51-year-old women’s rights activist once again criticized the headscarf requirement in her country, which is being enforced with increasing brutality by the authorities. Requiring women to wear the hijab is a means of “control and oppression of society” on which the survival of “an authoritarian, religious government” depends, she wrote.
“We, the Iranian people, strive for democracy, freedom, human rights and equality,” Mohammadi continued. But the Islamic Republic stands in the way of realizing these demands. The aim of the women’s protests is therefore to replace “this authoritarian-religious government with the help of solidarity and a non-violent and unstoppable process” and to revive the “honor of Iran and human dignity”. Mohammadi’s message concluded: “Victory is not easy, but it is certain.”
The 51-year-old plays a central role in the fight for women’s rights and freedom of expression in her country. She campaigns against the compulsory headscarf and the death penalty in Iran. For this she has been repeatedly imprisoned and whipped since 1998.
For her efforts, Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the beginning of October. Her daughter Kiana, who fled to France with her family, and her twin brother Ali will receive the prize on their behalf in Oslo on December 10th, as the Nobel Institute announced on Wednesday.
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