The winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize is Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her efforts to promote human rights and freedom.
“This year’s Peace Prize also recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who, in the preceding year, have demonstrated against the theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women,” the Nobel Committee said in a statement.
The Iranian regime has arrested Mohammadi 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison. She remains in jail.
“She fights for freedom of expression and the right of independence, and against rules requiring women to remain out of sight and to cover their bodies. The freedom demands expressed by demonstrators apply not only to women but to the entire population,” the committee said.
Nobel committee chair Berit Reiss-Andersen said that the committee hoped to send a signal to the Iranian government to “listen to your own people,” adding that naming Mohammadi as this year’s winner is “first and foremost a recognition of a whole movement in Iran with its undisputed leader Narges Mohammadi.”
NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg congratulated Mohammadi on X (formerly Twitter), saying “you have been brave in your fight against the oppression,” and adding that “human rights and freedom for all are fundamental for peace.”
This Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to people “who have worked the most or the best for the fraternization of peoples and the abolition or reduction of standing armies as well as the formation and spread of peace congresses,” according to its founder Alfred Nobel.
Last year’s prize was awarded to two non-profit organizations, Memorial (Russia) and the Center for Civil Liberties (Ukraine), and activist Ales Bialiatski from Belarus for their work to promote the right to criticize power and protect the fundamental rights of citizens.