Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate and an advocate for women's rights, has managed to convey a message from her incarceration in Tehran. The message was published late on Tuesday and, despite the daunting challenges she faces, Mohammadi's words resonate with conviction and hope.
In her message, which was eloquently conveyed in French by her 17-year-old daughter, Kiana Rahmani, and subsequently posted on the official Nobel website, Narges Mohammadi expresses her "sincere gratitude" to the Norwegian Nobel committee for the honor she received in early October. Her Nobel Prize was awarded "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran."
Critically, she reiterates her criticism of the compulsory requirement for women in Iran to wear headscarves and strongly condemns the Iranian authorities. Mohammadi views the mandatory hijab as a tool of control and repression, imposed on society to sustain the authoritarian religious regime in power.
Furthermore, she unflinchingly denounces the Iranian regime's 45-year history of institutionalized deprivation and poverty, built on deceit, manipulation, and intimidation. This regime is a key obstacle to realizing the people's legitimate demands for democracy, freedom, human rights, and equality, according to Mohammadi.
Narges Mohammadi's message also reflects her resilience as she has faced severe adversity, including 13 arrests, five sentences totaling 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, and her most recent incarceration since 2021. She has been a prominent figure in the "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement in Iran, which advocates for women's rights and has seen women taking off their headscarves, cutting their hair, and participating in street demonstrations.
Mohammadi's message emphasizes the unstoppable and non-violent process that Iranians are employing to seek democracy, freedom, and human rights while challenging the existing religious authoritarian regime. She holds firm to the belief that victory, although challenging, is ultimately inevitable.
The method through which this message was smuggled out of her captivity remains undisclosed, underscoring the extraordinary risks and determination involved in delivering her powerful words to the world.
