The Iranian regime may well denounce a "biased and political" decision, and wave the conspiracy flag of a maneuver involving "some European governments," but the reality is nevertheless damning: The infamous Evin prison in Tehran is now home to a Nobel Peace Prize winner. By honoring a prisoner, Narges Mohammadi, an activist for women's rights and human rights, with this prestigious distinction on Friday, October 6, the Norwegian committee paid tribute to her courage and determination.
We can only applaud this choice and call on the Iranian authorities, as did many leaders around the world after this announcement, to restore her freedom. In addition to the journalist who is frequently arbitrarily arrested, and who is currently paying a new penalty for her tireless struggle against the excesses of the current regime in Teheran, this Nobel Peace Prize is aimed at a vast protest movement triggered by the brutal death of Mahsa Amini, just over a year ago. The young woman died at the hands of the morality police for wearing a headscarf in a manner deemed reprehensible.
The award is also a symbolic response to the ruthless repression of this protest, which is embodied in the slogan "Woman, Life, Freedom." The triptych refers to the impasses that form a dark part of the legacy of this military-religious regime. Women are still considered second-class citizens. Aggravated by international sanctions due to the nuclear arms race, the economic crisis fueled by corruption and incompetence darkens future prospects. Freedom is being attacked on all fronts by the state and its militias.
In a letter written in June behind the walls of Evin prison and published in Le Monde on the eve of the first anniversary of Amini's death, Mohammadi made the same observation. "If you look closely at Iranian society, you will see that every individual is guilty of a desire to live at every moment of his life and in every place" in the eyes of the regime, she wrote, convinced nonetheless that Iranians' fight for their freedoms will not die out.
The activist knows her country too well not to know that this fight will be a long one. When Shirin Ebadi, the founding lawyer of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (for whom Mohammadi has long been a spokesperson), was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003, while she was traveling abroad, thousands of Iranians celebrated her return. Any remaining hope of opening up the regime was swept away by waves of repression, and Ebadi resigned herself to exile six years later. Since then, the situation has only worsened.
Sadly, there is likely to be an empty chair at the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. In her, Narges Mohammadi issued an invitation to her readers: "Be our voice, too, relay our message of hope, tell the world we are not behind these walls for nothing, and that we are now stronger than our tormentors who use every possible means to silence our society." That voice rang out on October 6, louder than ever.
Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.