2023 Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech - Narges Mohammedi

 

Nargis Mohammedi (B,1972) an Engineer by profession is an Iranian journalist and Human Rights Activist.  She was awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. Mohammedi has been arrested 13 times, convicted five time and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison. Her Nobel prize acceptance speech that was written by her and smuggled from the prison was read out by her teenage children Kiana and Ali Rahman in Oslo. It is a call to action for promoting human rights and democracy in Iran.

Iran is actually the home that gave birth to one of the world's oldest major civilizations. However after the Iranian Revolution in 1979, it continues to be an Islamic Republic with its supreme leader. Since then Iran has been widely criticized for its violation of human rights and restrictions on women, ethnic minorities and political dissidents. Shirin Ebadi was the first Muslim  and Iranian woman to win Nobel Peace prize in 2003 for her efforts for women, children and refugees rights.

'Women, life, freedom movement' of Iran is a protest movement that emerged in Iran in September 2022, following the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22 year old Iranian woman who was arrested by the morality police for allegedly wearing the mandatory Islamic head scarf too loosely. Men and women were on the streets with protest then.  Hundreds of protesters were killed and thousands arrested.  Mohammedi says in her speech, she is one of the millions of proud and resilient Iranian women who have risen up against oppression, repression, discrimination and tyranny. She says, as Iran is a tyrannical and anti women religious government, 'The women, life, freedom movement' of Iran should become an accelerator of democratic process to strengthen civil society and ensure Human Rights in Iran. Here she needs timely help and support from the global civil society to the Iranian people for their non-violent struggle to achieve peace, democracy and human rights in Iran.

Thus Mohammedi connects the struggle for freedom in Iran with an extensive global human rights concern. As continued resistance and non violence are the best strategies to dismantle obstruction and despotism, she is quite confident that the light of freedom and justice will soon shine brightly on the land of Iran.

--------Thulasidharan V