Editorial: Crusader of human rights

Nobel recognition to Narges’ efforts will go a long way in highlighting the atrocities that women face

By honouring the jailed Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi with the Nobel Peace Prize this year, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has given a big boost to those fighting against the oppression of women across the world. The award is a tribute to Narges, currently imprisoned in Tehran, for her relentless crusade for human rights and freedom for all in her country. The recognition of her efforts by the Nobel Committee will go a long way in highlighting the atrocities and injustice that women are facing in Iran. It will also motivate women around the world to stand up more forcefully for their rights. Even in this time and age, gender discrimination continues to be the lived reality of millions of women across the globe. The bias is more pronounced in Islamic countries, even though antiquated patriarchal conventions relegating women to the background are prevalent across social strata and societies worldwide. Narges’ mission has come at a tremendous personal cost: Altogether, the Iranian regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. She has not seen her son in eight years and it is highly unlikely that the activist will be allowed to leave the country to pick up her Nobel prize. Millions of Iranians will be cheering for this award along with human rights activists around the world. The Nobel committee’s decision sends a very strong signal of disapproval to the Iranian authorities. It has also given fresh impetus to calls for her release from prison.

Interestingly, Narges was inspired by her compatriot and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi, who won the Peace Nobel in 2003. In the latest fight, she had led a nationwide protest by defiant women against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini at the hands of the morality police. Amini was arrested for defying the female dress code. The custodial death had triggered massive nationwide unrest with over 300 people being killed in police action. Images of Iranian women defiantly setting their headscarves on fire captivated the world. However, the authoritarian clerical rulers brutally suppressed the mass protests. Since Amini’s death, a growing number of women have not been observing hijab, which was made mandatory four years after the 1979 revolution. Narges (51), the deputy director of an NGO ‘Defenders of Human Rights Center’, is the 19th woman to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman to win the award – after Shirin Ebadi. It is also the fifth time in the 122-year history of the awards that the Peace Prize has been given to someone who is in prison or under house arrest. She had worked as a journalist for several reformist publications and campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty and women’s rights.