Iran has condemned the awarding of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian human rights activist, as a “political move” and an “interference in its internal affairs”.
Mohammadi, who is serving multiple sentences in Tehran’s Evin prison for her advocacy for women’s rights, democracy, and opposition to the death penalty, was announced as the winner of the prestigious prize on Friday.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it awarded the prize to Mohammadi “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.
Mohammadi is one of Iran’s leading human rights activists, who has campaigned for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty and an improvement of prison conditions inside Iran.
She is also the deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, a non-governmental organisation led by fellow Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi.
The award will be viewed as a tribute to the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran that rocked the clerical establishment last year, but has been suppressed with many activists either killed or in jail.
The protests were sparked by the death in police custody of the young Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini after she had been arrested for not wearing the hijab in line with state rules.
Mohammadi has been active from within prison, warning of nationwide protests by publishing letters about the state of prisons and detention centres and violence against prisoners and detainees.
However, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh denounced the Nobel Peace Prize as a “political move” and a “tool for exerting pressure on independent states”.
He said that Mohammadi was convicted by Iran’s judiciary for “committing security crimes” and that her case had nothing to do with human rights or women’s rights.
He also accused the Nobel Committee of having a “biased and selective approach” and of ignoring the “real defenders of peace” in the region.
He said that Iran would not accept any “interference in its internal affairs” and that it would continue to uphold its “legal and moral obligations” to protect its national security and interests.
The Nobel Peace Prize, which comes with a gold medal and 10 million Swedish kronor ($1.1 million), will be presented in Oslo on December 10, the anniversary of the death of Swedish industrialist Alfred Nobel, who founded the awards in his 1895 will.
It is not clear whether Mohammadi will be able to attend the ceremony or send a representative, as she is still in prison and Iran does not have diplomatic relations with Norway.
Mohammadi’s family and supporters have expressed their joy and gratitude for the recognition of her courage and struggle.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in France with their two children, said he was “very happy” and “very proud” of his wife. He said he hoped that the prize would help secure her release from prison and improve the situation of human rights in Iran.
Ebadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003 for her efforts for democracy and human rights in Iran, also congratulated Mohammadi and praised her as a “brave woman” who has sacrificed her life for her ideals.
She also expressed hope that the prize would draw attention to the plight of women in Iran.
