The 51-year-old activist and journalist, one of the main faces of the protest against the condition of women in the country, strongly attacks the power in Tehran in this message broadcast by the Nobel.
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“Victory is not easy but it is certain” : Iranian women’s rights activist Narges Mohammadi, winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, secretly sent a message from her cell. She particularly attacks power in Tehran.
In this message read in French by her daughter, Kiana Rahmani, and broadcast on Wednesday November 1 on the official Nobel website, the 51-year-old activist and journalist expresses her “most sincere gratitude” to the Norwegian committee. She also once again criticizes the obligation for women in Iran to wear the veil.
“We aspire to democracy, freedom, human rights and equality”
“The compulsory hijab is the main source of domination and repression in society, aimed at maintaining and perpetuating authoritarian religious government”, she declares through the voice of her 17-year-old daughter, a refugee in France with the rest of her family. She mentions “a government which has institutionalized deprivation and poverty in society for 45 years. A government built on lies, deception, trickery and intimidation. A government that has jeopardized peace and stability in the region and the world through its bellicose policies.”
“The strength of this movement lies in the action of Iranian women. We know what we want, more and better than what we do not want”says Narges Mohammadi. “We, the Iranian people, aspire to democracy, freedom, human rights and equality. The Islamic Republic is the main obstacle to realizing this national demand.”
Arrested 13 times, sentenced five times to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, and incarcerated again since 2021, Narges Mohammadi is one of the main faces of the “Women, Life, Freedom” uprising in Iran. The movement, which saw women remove the veil, cut their hair and demonstrate in the streets, was sparked by the death last year of a 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, after her arrest in Tehran for non-compliance with strict Islamic dress code. The movement was and continues to be severely repressed.