Children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf

Posted 7:09AM on Sunday 10th December 2023 ( 5 months ago )

HELSINKI (AP) — The teenage children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accepted this year’s Nobel Peace Prize in the Norwegian capital on Sunday on behalf of the mother they haven’t seen in years, reading out a speech she penned from a Tehran prison as her medal rested on an empty chair.

Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty.

Kiana and Ali Rahmani, Mohammadi’s 17-year-old twins who live in exile in Paris with their father, received the prestigious award at Oslo City Hall, which was richly adored with blue orchids for the occasion. Daughter Kiana read the first part of the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in their mother's name, and her brother continued it.

“I write this message from behind the high, cold walls of a prison," Mohammadi said in the speech. "I am a Middle Eastern woman, and come from a region which, despite its rich civilization, is now trapped amid war, the fire of terrorism, and extremism.”

“I am confident that the light of freedom and justice will shine brightly on the land of Iran," she said. "At that moment, we will celebrate the victory of democracy and human rights over tyranny and authoritarianism, and the anthem of the people’s triumph on the streets of Iran will resonate worldwide.

“The Iranian people will dismantle obstruction and despotism through their persistence. Have no doubt – this is certain,” she added.

In the presence of Norway's King Harald and Queen Sonja and other dignitaries, Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, cited Mohammadi's “life-long struggle in support of human rights and strong civil society.”

A large portrait on display showed Mohammadi in pastel colors and smiling.

“She has asked us to use this particular photograph, which expresses how she wants to lead her life, looking happy in colorful garments, exposing her hair and with a steady gaze towards us,” Reiss-Andersen said.

“No punishment has stopped her,” Reiss-Andersen said, citing the sentences of imprisonment and over 150 lashes that have been imposed on her. She said when Mohammadi needed medical treatment recently, she was told she would be taken to a hospital on condition she wear a hijab. She refused, and was eventually taken to a different medical facility.

“When everything has been denied her, she still mobilizes the willpower and courage to make a statement," Reiss-Andersen said.

"This year's Peace Prize recognizes the brave women in Iran and around the world who fight for basic human rights and for an end to the discrimination and against segregation of women."

In their speeches, Mohammadi's children both expressed regret that their mother wasn't allowed to be present in Oslo.

“She should have been here herself, but she was prevented by the executioners. I lend my voice to hers, and to all the girls and women of Iran whom nothing can silence,” Kiana Rahmani said in Farsi at the beginning of her speech given in French.

Her brother noted that their mother's “body is behind bars but her pen and thoughts have burst through the walls and reached us."

“She and the Iranian people have never been more oppressed than now. But never has their voice resonated so strongly in the world. Let us continue to spread the reverberation so that Narges Mohammadi and the Iranian people will one day be able to break their chains,” he said.

At a news conference in Oslo on Saturday, Kiana Rahmani read out a message from her mother in which she praised the role international media played in “conveying the voice of dissenters, protesters and human rights defenders to the world.”

“Iranian society needs global support and you, journalists and media professionals are our greatest and most important allies in the difficult struggle against the destructive tyranny of the Islamic Republic government. I sincerely thank you for your efforts, for all you’ve done for us,” Mohammadi said.

Kiana Rahmani said she held little hope of seeing her mother again.

“Maybe I’ll see her in 30 or 40 years, but I think I won’t see her again. But that doesn’t matter, because my mother will always live on in my heart, values that are worth fighting for,” she said.

Mohammadi’s brother and husband told reporters that she planned to go on a hunger strike on Sunday in solidarity with the Baha’i Faith religious minority in Iran.

Mohammadi's husband, Taghi, was in the audience to watch their children accept the prestigious prize. He had previously said that he hadn’t been able to see his wife for 11 years, while their children hadn't seen their mother for nearly eight years.

Mohammadi played a leading role in protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last year while in police custody for allegedly violating the country’s strict headscarf law, which forces women to cover their hair and entire bodies.

Iranian authorities banned members of Amini’s family from traveling to accept the European Union’s top human rights prize — the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought — on her behalf, the U.S.-based HRANA said late Saturday.

Narges Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003.

It’s 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.

The rest of the Nobel prizes were handed out in a separate ceremony in Stockholm later Sunday.

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Brooks reported from Copenhagen, Denmark. Associated Press writer Vanessa Gera in Warsaw, Poland, contributed to this report.

Ali, second right, and Kiana Rahmani, second left, attend the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 to their mother, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, shown on the screen, in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of Narges Mohammadi will accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Kiana Rahmani, left, and Ali Rahmani attend the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, Ali Rahmani and Kiana Rahmani are to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Kiana Rahmani, right, and Ali Rahmani attend the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, Ali Rahmani and Kiana Rahmani are to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

Norway's King Harald, left, Queen Sonja, second left, Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Crown Prince Haakon during the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi are set to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Leader of the Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen presents the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 to Ali, right, and Kiana Rahmani, for their mother, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Family of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, husband Taghi Rahmani and their children Ali and Kiana Rahmani, center, arrive for the Nobel banquet at the Grand Hotel in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Oslo, Norway, Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Rodrigo Freitas/NTB via AP)

Ali, Taghi and Kiana Rahmani, the husband and children of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Kiana Rahmani, attend a press conference at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

Ali Rahmani gives part of the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in his mother’s name, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi during the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Chairman of the Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen speaks during the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, shown on the screen, are set to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

From left, Norway's Crown Prince Haakon, Queen Sonja, Ali Rahmani, Kiana Rahmani, King Harald, Crown Princess Mette Marit and Taghi Rahmani arrive for the Nobel banquet at the Grand Hotel in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Oslo, Norway, Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Rodrigo Freitas/NTB via AP)

Family of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, husband Taghi Rahmani and their children Ali and Kiana Rahmani, center, watch a torchlight procession in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Oslo, Norway, Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Hanna Johre/NTB via AP)

Ali, left, and Kiana Rahmani the children of this year's Nobel Peace Prize winner Kiana Rahmani, attend a press conference at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

Kiana Rahmani, daughter of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, signs the guest book at the Nobel Institute in Oslo, Saturday Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

The husband and children of this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ali, Kiana and Taghi Rahmani and the head of the Nobel Committee, Berit Reiss-Andersen, meets the press at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

Norway's Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon, right, and Crown Princess Mette-Marit, center, attend the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi are set to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Norway's King Harald, Queen Sonja, Crown Prince Haakon and Crown Princess Mette-Marit arrive for the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi are set to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Kiana Rahmani gives part of the Nobel Peace Prize lecture in her mother’s name, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, on the screen, during the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

Ali and Kiana Rahmani receive the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 for their mother, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, shown on the screen, in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Ali and Kiana Rahmani, left, attend the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 to their mother, imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of Narges Mohammadi, shown on the screen, will accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo City Hall, Oslo, Norway, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2023. The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, shown on the screen, are set to accept this year’s Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women’s rights and democracy in her country. (Fredrik Varfjell/NTB via AP)

Director at the Norwegian Nobel Institute Olav Njolstad during a press conference with the husband and children of this year's winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Ali, Kiana and Taghi Rahmani and chair of the Nobel Committee Berit Reiss-Andersen at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

The brother of the peace prize winner, Hamidreza Mohammadi, during a press conference at the Nobel Institute in Oslo on Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023. Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is imprisoned and is therefore represented by her immediate family. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Frederik Ringnes/NTB via AP)

People participate in a torchlight procession in honor of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate in Oslo, Norway, Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty. (Hanna Johre/NTB via AP)

Jon Fosse, left, is awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature 2023 by King Carl Gustaf of Sweden during the Nobel Prize award ceremony at the Concert Hall in Stockholm, Sweden, Sunday Dec. 10, 2023. (Claudio Bresciani/TT via AP)

A picture of peace prize winner Narges Mohammadi is projected on the wall of the Grand Hotel in central Oslo before the Nobel banquet on Sunday, Dec. 10. 2023. The peace prize winner is imprisoned and is represented by his children Ali and Kiana Rahmani and her spouse Taghi Rahmani. Mohammadi receives the peace prize for his fight against the oppression of women in Iran and the fight for human rights and freedom for all. (Javad Parsa/NTB via AP)

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