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NewsTranscript
00:00 We begin with the Nobel Peace Prize announcement coming out of Oslo.
00:05 Chair Berit Reis-Andersen is taking the speech.
00:08 Let's listen in.
00:09 Women, life, freedom.
00:10 The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 to
00:25 Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight
00:35 to promote human rights and freedom for all.
00:40 Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal cost.
00:46 Altogether the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times and sentenced
00:57 her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes.
01:07 Ms. Mohammadi is still in prison as I speak.
01:16 In September 2022, a young Kurdish woman, Masha Jina Amini, was killed in the custody
01:26 of the Iranian Moralty Police.
01:30 Her killing triggered the largest political demonstrations against Iran's theocratic regime
01:38 since it came to power in 1979.
01:43 Under the slogan "Women, Life, Freedom," hundreds of thousands of Iranians took part in peaceful
01:51 protests against the authorities' brutality and oppression of women.
02:01 The regime cracked hard down on the protests.
02:05 More than 500 demonstrators were killed.
02:09 Thousands were injured, including many who were blinded by rubber bullets fired by the
02:16 police.
02:18 At least 20,000 people were arrested and held in custody.
02:27 The motto adopted by the demonstrators, "Women, Life, Freedom," suitably expresses the dedication
02:37 and work of Nargis Mohammadi.
02:42 "Woman," she fights for women against systematic discrimination and oppression.
02:52 "Life," she supports women's struggle for the right to live full and dignified lives.
03:01 This struggle across Iran has been met with persecution, imprisonment, torture, and even
03:10 death.
03:12 "Freedom," she fights for freedom of expression and the right to independence, and against
03:22 rules requiring women to remain out of sight and cover up their bodies.
03:31 The freedom demands expressed by demonstrators apply not only to women, but to the entire
03:39 population.
03:43 In the 1990s, as a young physics student, Nargis Mohammadi was already distinguishing
03:50 herself as an advocate for equality and women's rights.
03:56 After concluding her studies, she worked as an engineer as well as a columnist in various
04:04 reform-minded newspapers.
04:07 In 2003, she became involved with the Defense of Human Rights Center in Tehran, an organization
04:17 founded by the Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Shirin Ebadi.
04:24 In 2011, Ms. Mohammadi was arrested for the first time and sentenced to many years of
04:32 imprisonment for her efforts to assist incarcerated activists and their families.
04:43 Two years later, after her release on bail, Ms. Mohammadi immersed herself in a campaign
04:50 against the use of death penalty.
04:54 Iran has long been among the countries that execute the highest proportion of their inhabitants
05:02 annually.
05:04 Just since January 2022, more than 860 prisoners have been punished by death in Iran.
05:17 Her activism against the death penalty led to the rearrest of Ms. Mohammadi in 2015 and
05:26 to a sentence of additional years behind walls.
05:32 Upon her return to prison, she began opposing the regime's systematic use of torture and
05:41 sexualized violence against political prisoners, and especially women, that is practiced in
05:49 Iranian prisons.
05:53 Last year's wave of protests became known to the political prisoners held inside the
06:00 notorious Evin prison in Tehran.
06:05 Once again, Ms. Mohammadi assumed leadership.
06:11 From prison, she expressed support for the demonstrators and organized solidarity actions
06:18 among her fellow inmates.
06:22 The prison authorities responded by imposing even stricter conditions.
06:30 Ms. Mohammadi was prohibited from receiving calls and visitors.
06:36 She nevertheless managed to smuggle out an article which the New York Times published
06:44 on the one-year anniversary of Marsha Jina Amini's killing.
06:50 The message was, "The more of us they lock up, the stronger we become."
06:58 From captivity, Ms. Mohammadi has helped to ensure that the protests have not ebbed out.
07:10 Narges Mohammadi is a woman, a human rights advocate, and a freedom fighter.
07:19 In awarding her this year's Nobel Peace Prize, the Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes
07:28 to honor her courageous fight for human rights, freedom, and democracy in Iran.
07:37 This year's Peace Prize also recognizes the hundreds of thousands of people who in
07:46 the preceding year have demonstrated against the theocratic regime's policies of discrimination
07:54 and oppression targeting women.
08:01 Only by embracing equal rights for all can the world achieve the fraternity between nations
08:12 that Alfred Nobel sought to promote.
08:16 The award to Narges Mohammadi follows a long tradition in which the Norwegian Nobel Committee
08:24 has awarded the Peace Prize to those working to advance social justice, human rights, and
08:33 democracy.
08:35 These are important preconditions for lasting peace.
08:42 Thank you.
08:43 Madam Chair, what impact do you hope that this prize will have on the situation in Iran?
08:54 This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement
09:04 in Iran.
09:05 I want to thank the Norwegian Nobel Chair, Berit Reis-Andersen, announcing that the Gelderian
09:11 activist Narges Mohammadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize.
09:15 We'll be speaking to the chair of that committee, Berit Reis-Andersen, later here on France
09:19 24.
09:20 Joining me now on the set is our foreign editor, Ketivan Kordestani.
09:23 Hello to you, Ketivan.
09:25 Berit Reis-Andersen, outlining why Mohammadi was winning this award.
09:30 Tell us a bit more about her.
09:32 Well, Narges Mohammadi is a 51-year-old activist very involved in the fight for human rights,
09:40 and this is why this prize was given to her, the Nobel Peace Prize, saying that it was
09:45 for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights
09:52 and freedom overall, if you will.
09:55 Now, her name in Iran has really become synonymous with this fight for women's rights in the
10:04 country.
10:05 And as the Nobel chair was saying, she really described how much of her life Narges has
10:15 really given to this cause.
10:17 I'll repeat, she was arrested 13 times, convicted five times, sentenced to a total of 31 years
10:26 in prison.
10:27 So, really, over the past two decades, Mohammadi has spent most of her life behind bars.
10:35 And so she's really become one of the faces of this fight.
10:39 But she is one of the faces.
10:42 That is really how she has been working and continuing to do so behind bar, continuing
10:49 to try to mobilize, to bring awareness.
10:52 She actually did interviews from her prison cell, trying to get the word out, to keep
10:58 the focus, the spotlight on what she was working for.
11:03 And she has really focused, yes, on women's rights, but really human rights as a whole.
11:10 And as you point out, one of the faces, and in that announcement, we heard that the committee
11:14 also wanted to recognize the hundreds and thousands of people that have been protesting
11:19 in Iran this past year.
11:20 Yes.
11:21 And this really, this prize coming just a little over a year since the death of Mahsa
11:27 Amini, she was the one who sparked these protests.
11:32 She was beaten by the morality police for not wearing her hijab correctly.
11:39 And her death really sparked something in Iran.
11:44 Of course, these protests have been going on.
11:46 There have been movements, especially among women.
11:49 But her death really brought this together and triggered these mass protests that we
11:55 saw.
11:56 And Nargis Mohammadi was also involved in this, also trying to bring more light, to
12:03 try to make it so that the spotlight wouldn't fade from this movement, from this protest.
12:10 And we've seen just a couple of days ago a new alleged assault coming to light, going
12:16 viral across social media of a teenage girl that seems to have been beaten by this morality
12:24 police, pretty much the same situation as Mahsa Amini, except in this case, luckily,
12:30 it seems that she is still alive.
12:32 And so the result was not exactly the same, but it is something that keeps happening.
12:38 And people like Nargis Mohammadi are trying to make it so that nobody forgets what is
12:44 going on in Iran and that the people, the young people, the young women, the young men
12:49 who are fighting for these rights have continued support within Iran, but also around the world
12:55 so that the world doesn't really forget about what is happening there, even when the
13:01 spotlight fades.
13:02 Indeed.
13:03 And that spotlight now on Nargis Mohammadi.
13:05 She wins a million dollars in prize money, as well as an 18-carat gold medal and a diploma.
13:11 And the fight in Iran, as Ketavan was saying, going back this past year with Mahsa Amini,
13:16 but also decades before that.
13:18 And that circle looks set to continue.
13:20 Ketavan, thank you very much.
13:21 Ketavan Ghorjasani, our foreign editor, will be continuing to follow this story and others
13:25 here on France 24.
13:27 Thanks for watching.
13:27 Thanks for watching.