Nobel Peace Prize for Narges Mohammadi; Joseph Borrell and the European Union's Reception

Joseph Borrell, the EU's foreign policy chief, welcomed the Nobel Committee's decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist imprisoned in Iran, on Friday. Borrell stated, "The European Union welcomes the decision to award the Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against oppression of women in Iran and her struggle for the promotion of human rights and freedom for all." He added, "Narges Mohammadi, as a prominent Iranian human rights defender, has always fought for women's rights, the abolition of the death penalty, and the improvement of prison conditions in Iran." Borrell noted that Mohammadi is currently imprisoned in Iran, serving multiple sentences totaling 12 years, yet she never ceases to use her voice to uphold human dignity and the rights of Iranians, even from her prison cell. He concluded, "The EU will continue to defend respect for human rights in Iran and elsewhere and advocate for the freedom of all those who, like Mohammadi, have been unjustly detained." U.S. President Joe Biden also congratulated Narges Mohammadi on Friday for receiving the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize and called on the Iranian government to immediately release her and other gender equality activists. Biden referred to Mohammadi's "unwavering courage," stating that her commitment to creating a future that women and the people of Iran deserve is inspiring for human rights and human dignity fighters worldwide. The U.S. President recalled Mohammadi's strengthened resolve and efforts despite her current unjust imprisonment in Evin prison, stating that this award is a recognition of her and a sign of the global community hearing her call for freedom and equality. The Nobel Peace Committee in Norway announced on Friday that the Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Mohammadi for her role in combating the oppression of women in Iran and her struggle for the promotion of human rights and freedom for all. Britt Reis Andersen, the chair of the Nobel Committee in Oslo, stated: "Narges Mohammadi fights against the discrimination and systematic oppression faced by women." She added that the slogan 'Women, Life, Freedom' in protests in Iran reflects Mohammadi's selflessness. Narges Mohammadi, born in 1972 in Zanjan, has been arrested and imprisoned multiple times over the past two decades. She is currently imprisoned for her human rights activities in Iran. Mohammadi worked as a journalist for the publication Payam-e-Hajar in the mid-1990s. In the late 1990s, she joined the Center for Human Rights Defenders, which was led by Shirin Ebadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. Mohammadi later became the vice president of this center. Fatemeh Haqiqatjou stated: "Narges Mohammadi is a symbol of the defiance of Iranian women against a regime that seeks to subjugate women." The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights remarked that Mohammadi's Nobel Prize highlights the courage and inspiration of Iranian women. There was a widespread reaction from European officials to Mohammadi's Nobel Peace Prize: she is the voice of the Iranian people's quest for freedom. A reprint of an interview with Mohammadi by Voice of America in 2021 stated: "Neither flogging nor prison will stop me." Shirin Ebadi described Mohammadi as a very persistent character committed to human rights. Raha Bahreini noted that Mohammadi's Nobel Peace Prize is in a way an acknowledgment of the 'Women, Life, Freedom' movement. Biden praised Mohammadi's "unwavering courage" and stated that she should be immediately released from prison. Iranians in their messages praised Mohammadi's "quest for freedom" and her "resilience in struggle." Mohammadi's son reacted to the news of her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, saying: "My heart stopped."