Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi smuggles out letter from prison

Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian women's rights activist currently held in Tehran's Evin prison, has secreted a letter expressing her heartfelt thanks for the Nobel Peace Prize this month. Through the words read by her daughter, Mohammadi marks the accolade as a watershed moment for "empowering protest and social movements worldwide," signaling a beacon of hope and recognition for activists globally.

According to the Voice of America, details of Mohammadi's letter were shared through a video posted on the Nobel website, where her daughter Kiana recited her mother's message amidst the backdrop of Iran's political repression. The voices of Mohammadi's fellow inmates rose in unity, chanting "Woman, Life, Freedom," the cry of the current resistance movement she is an integral part of.

In her letter, Mohammadi's voice carries beyond the prison walls, urging global support for Iran's populace in their quest for change. "Victory is not easy, but it is certain," she reaffirms, encapsulating her unyielding resolve and optimism for the future.

"I am grateful to all of you and urge you to support the people of Iran until the final victory," she said in the letter read by her daughter.

Mohammadi said she was sending greetings and gratitude to the Nobel Committee on behalf of what she said were 46 women prisoners of conscience and political prisoners held at Evin.

Arrested more than a dozen times in her life and held three times in Evin since 2012, Mohammadi has been unable to see her husband for 15 years and her children for seven.

"The strength of this movement lies in the agency of Iranian women. We assuredly know what we want far better than what we do not want," she said in the letter, the text of which was also published on the Nobel website.

Mohammadi's most recent incarceration began after she attended a memorial for Mahsa Amini. The 22-year-old's death in police custody sparked a massive wave of outrage and widespread demonstrations against Iran's regime last year.

Awarded on October 6, 2023, Mohammadi's prize arrives as a pointed challenge to Iran's regime, bolstering the voices of dissent while igniting fierce criticism from Tehran, which denounces the award as foreign interference. Despite serving a cumulative sentence of around twelve years, Mohammadi's spirit remains unbroken, as evidenced by her communication from one of Iran's most notorious jails.