Imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize.
Announcing the decision, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said Ms Mohammadi was honoured for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran.
Committee chairwoman Berit Reiss-Andersen said Ms Mohammadi’s struggle has come at a “tremendous personal cost”.
Ms Reiss-Andersen also urged Iran to release Ms Mohammadi from jail so she could attend the prize ceremony in December, saying “If the Iranian authorities make the right decision they will release her so she can be present to receive this honour, which is what we primarily hope for.”
Ms Mohammadi is currently serving a 10-year jail term in Iran’s notorious Evin prison in the capital, Tehran.
According to BBC News, Iran’s foreign ministry said the award was “biased” and in line with “the interventionist and anti-Iran policies of some European countries”.
US President Joe Biden has reportedly called on the Iranian government to free Ms Mohammadi as he praised her “unshakeable courage”, while French President Emmanuel Macron said she was a “freedom fighter”.
(Featured Photo via nobelprize.org)
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