21. December 2023 – Latest
The Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo on Sunday, December 10, 2023 for her relentless fight against women’s and human rights violations. Due to her imprisonment in Evin prison, the award was received by her two children. HÁWAR.help was represented by Düzen Tekkal at the ceremony.
As announced on October 6th this year, the 51-year-old Narges Mohammadi, who is a leading human and women’s rights activist in Iran, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her unparalleled fight against the oppression of women. Because she is currently imprisoned in Evin prison, her children Kiana and Ali Rahmani read out her acceptance speech that was smuggled out of prison. Her absence was symbolized by an empty chair on the stage.
Narges Mohammadi is still fighting for women’s rights after over 20 years and continues to resist the regime, although she was already arrested 13 times and has received a 31-year sentence and 154 lashes in total. Recently, she went on a hunger strike in Evin prison, after she refused to comply with the compulsory hijab rule in Iran during her transport to a hospital, and demanded better medical conditions in prison.
HÁWAR.help was represented by Düzen Tekkal and Mariam Claren, one of the initiators of the HÁWAR.help sponsorship program for political prisoners in Iran and daughter of imprisoned activist Nahid Taghavi. “Narges Mohammadi being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize sheds an important light on the human rights situation in this country”, said Tekkal. It is a clear signal against human rights violations, especially those affecting women. It is time to finally initiate concrete measures to put an end to these human rights abuses, carried out by the regime in Iran. The suffering of these innocent women and activists must finally come to an end.
Since the murder of Jina Mahsa Amini by the moral police in Iran for improperly wearing her hijab on September 6th, 2022, HÁWAR.help has fully supported the “Jin, Jiyan, Azadi” freedom movement from the very beginning. The Nobel laureate, who was in custody at that time, still managed to support the protest movement from prison. Düzen Tekkal and Natalie Amiri’s book “We are not afraid! The brave women of Iran,” which was inspired by the recent protest movement in Iran, also covers Narges Mohammadi’s story and her dedication to fighting for the rights of women in the Islamic Republic of Iran.
“I will never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom and equality,” said Narges Mohammadi after the Nobel Prize was announced in October. In another letter from October, she writes “In Iran today, women and the youth are the largest and most radical and progressive social groups that fight against religious authoritarianism and want to bring about fundamental change with an aim to achieve lasting peace in Iran, in the Middle East, and in the world.” “We, the people of Iran, demand democracy, freedom, human rights, and equality, and the Islamic Republic is the main obstacle for achieving these national demands,” Mohammadi further stated. “I am confident that the light of freedom and justice will shine brightly on the land of Iran” said Mohammadi during the Nobel Prize lecture.
HÁWAR.help stands tirelessly with Narges Mohammadi and all other Iranian freedom fighters and warmly congratulates her on this honorable award.