Narges Mohammadi is the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement was made today, Friday, October 6, by the Nobel Committee from the headquarters of the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.
Following announcements for the Literature, Physics, Chemistry and Medicine categories, committee members today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize 2023 to Narges Mohammadi for her struggle against the oppression of women in Iran and for promoting human rights and freedom for all.
Narges Mohammadi is currently still in prison in her country where she has been arrested dozens of times.
Table of Contents
Who is Narges Mohammadi, the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2023
Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian human rights activist who has been fighting for the freedom of her countrymen for years against the theocratic regime in Tehran. Her courageous struggle has come at enormous personal cost to her.
Overall, the regime has arrested her 13 times. While local judges have sentenced her five times for a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Her involvement dates back to the 1990s when she was a young physics student.
Narges Mohammadi has been a lifelong advocate for equality and women’s rights in Iran. After completing her studies in engineering, she carried on her struggle as a columnist in several reformist newspapers.
In 2003 she joined the Tehran Center for Human Rights Defenders. This is a humanitarian organization founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, and became its vice president.
In 2011 Narges Mohammadi was first arrested and sentenced to many years in prison for her efforts to assist imprisoned activists and their families. An arrest that did not stop her efforts. Two years later, after her release on bail, the activist embarked on a campaign against the death penalty in Iran that cost her a new arrest.
Read also: Has Iran really abolished the morality police? No confirmation as protests continue
The names of the nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize 2023
Voting for the award of the Nobel Peace Prize, as always happens, is kept secret. The names of the nominees have not been released and will not be officially released until 50 years have passed, as Nobel Prize protocol dictates.
According to rumors, however, they include Ukrainian President Zelensky and Russian opponent Aleksei Navalny. But also young environmental activist Greta Thunberg.
Also among the names leaked and reported by Swedish news agencies are Ugandan environmentalist Vanessa Nakate and Russian opposition journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza.
Last year’s Nobel Peace Prize winners
The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winners follow the two Russian and Ukrainian humanitarian organizations, Memorial and Center for Civil Liberties. Which were awarded the Nobel in 2022 along with Belarusian human rights defender Ales Bialiats.
Last year the prize was awarded to the three winners for promoting the right to criticize power in their countries and the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights. The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded 103 times to 140 individuals and 30 organizations between 1901 and 2022.
