The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.
This was contained in a tweet via the awarding body’s verified X handle @NobelPrize.
Narges is Vice President of the Defenders of Human Rights Center. A professional engineer, she lost her post in 2009, following a jail sentence.
As a journalist, she wrote many articles arguing for social reforms in Iran and published an essay collection, The Reforms, the Strategy, and the Tactics.
According to her Wiki entry, Narges was born on 21 April, 1972 in Zanjan, Iran; and grew up in Qorveh, Karaj, and Oshnaviyeh.
She attended Qazvin International University, receiving a degree in physics, and became a professional engineer.
During her university career, she wrote articles supporting women’s rights in the student newspaper and was arrested at two meetings of the political student group known as the Enlightened Student Group.
She was also active in a mountain climbing group but was later banned from joining climbs due to her political activities.
Narges went on to work as a journalist for several reformist newspapers. In 2003, she joined the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi. She later became the organization’s vice president.
In 1999, Narges married fellow pro-reform journalist Taghi Rahmani, who was soon arrested for the first time. Rahmani moved to France in 2012 after serving 14 years of prison sentences, while Narges remained to continue her human rights work. Narges and Rahmani have twin children.
She has served various prison terms between 1998 and 2020 on account of her human rights activities.
