Narges Mohammadi's Call to the Public: Join the 'Campaign for Solidarity Against Sexual Violence'

Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, on Tuesday, June 5, urged the public to join the 'Campaign for Solidarity Against Sexual Violence' and to begin narrating and judging the public accounts of sexual assault and harassment, especially in the prisons of the Islamic Republic. This human rights activist emphasized in an Instagram post that sexual assault can be used as a devastating tool by certain political regimes against those considered 'others.' She stated, 'Currently, assault, rape, and sexual harassment are tools of torture, threats, and forced confessions used by a government trying to suppress popular protest movements.' The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner also referred to contemporary Iranian history, particularly the 1980s and the 'Kahrizak tragedy,' and noted the admissions of some Islamic Republic officials regarding the sexual abuse of prisoners, asserting, 'The perpetrators of such atrocities have never been held accountable; instead, those who narrate and expose sexual violence in the Islamic Republic have always been prosecuted and punished.' Narges Mohammadi, who has been convicted three times for narrating abuse in court, is set to be tried for the fourth time on June 8, 2024. Thirty-six political prisoners in Evin Prison issued a statement on June 3, requesting that Narges Mohammadi's trial be held publicly on June 8, 'with the presence of witnesses and narrators of sexual harassment and with independent media present.' Over the past three decades, Narges Mohammadi has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned, and in her latest legal case, she was sentenced to ten years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime' and is currently held in Evin Prison in Tehran.