Narges Mohammadi: The Struggle of Women in Iran Against Gender Apartheid Continues

The magazine 'Vogue', a well-known women's publication based in New York, published a note by Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, on the occasion of International Women's Day, March 8. In this note, Ms. Mohammadi called for the criminalization of gender apartheid and emphasized: 'The struggle of women in Iran against tyranny and repression continues not only for women's rights but also for achieving democracy and freedom.' Written during her medical leave after a surgery, she condemned the systematic repression of women by the Islamic Republic and called for international solidarity to combat gender discrimination in Iran and Afghanistan. Narges Mohammadi referred to the historical role of women in the struggle against tyranny, mentioning the 'March 8, 1979 uprising' as the first organized protest against the Islamic Republic, stating: 'The element of resistance in our historical heritage is a buried treasure.' She highlighted the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement that emerged after the killing of Mahsa Amini during her detention by the morality police, asserting that 'Iranian women are agents and decisive in this movement.' Ms. Mohammadi noted that women are pursued, arrested, imprisoned, whipped, fined heavily, expelled, and marginalized simply for being women, for showing their hair or parts of their bodies. She emphasized that this repression is not only exercised by governmental institutions but also throughout all layers of society and within families, adding that women are continuously subordinated in their homes due to the recognition of men as heads of families. She pointed out that in their parental homes, their inheritance is half that of their brothers who benefit from government law. This is the cost of 'being a woman.' The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times, referred to her heavy judicial sentences, stating: 'In 2016, in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court presided over by Abolqasem Salavati, I was sentenced to 16 years in prison for opposing executions, feminist activities, and my presence in the Human Rights Defenders Center.' She added: 'As a woman in this society, I have been victimized multiple times due to the laws and policies of the Islamic Republic and have paid the price, and for protesting these laws, I have been condemned again and have paid the price once more.' Ms. Mohammadi stated: 'Although I am out of prison due to a heavy surgery to remove a bone mass from my right leg in my tenth year of imprisonment, with ten years of prison ahead of me, I will not stop until democracy, freedom, and human rights are achieved.' She discussed her physical condition, noting that her heart vessels are affected and that she has undergone four major surgeries in prisons while serving her sentence, but she still maintains a good mental state and is working to improve her physical condition. This human rights activist also wrote about her life and the costs she has incurred due to her struggle, stating that she has faced additional pressure for protesting misogynistic laws. Narges Mohammadi expressed her opposition to polygamy based on Islamic Republic law, which allows a man to have four legal wives simultaneously. Women also become victims of this illegality in their homes, and when they protest, they face heavy prison sentences. In the conclusion of her note, she emphasized the need to continue the struggle until democracy and equality are achieved, urging women to stand against human rights violators, stating: 'I believe in the unstoppable power of women. We should not be afraid and must bravely stand against those who violate women's rights and are disbelievers in democracy.'