Subject: “Narges Mohammadi”. Text: “Ms. Mohammadi has answered your questions, thank you for waiting.”
The email comes as a surprise, six days after the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded. At Oslo City Hall, her twin children Ali and Kiana, 17, and an empty chair stood to report her absence. Mohammadi, 51, in prison in Tehran since 2021, was arrested 13 times and sentenced to 31 years and 154 lashes.
The engineer, vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, activist and, above all, symbol of Iran's fight against dictatorship, answers in writing from a microscopic cell that she shares with four other companions in the women's wing of Evin. On the wall above, a small window from which you can see the beloved mountains, a distant touch of freedom.
How does getting in the way with your body and your words pay off?
“With me – says Mohammadi – they open one case after another: I have accumulated six. For two of them I was sentenced to a further 27 months in prison and four months of street cleaning, I am waiting for another verdict.”
What does it mean for a mother, for a parent, not to see their children for eight years?
“The absence of a child is the most excruciating pain imaginable. The first arrest occurred when Ali and Kiana were three years and five months old. I was isolated, in a maximum security station. There were no calls, no visits, I knew nothing about how my children were doing, I was tormented. Every time I think about that time, I can't believe I survived so much pain. Then things got even worse.
Meaning what?
“The second time they arrested me and put me in solitary confinement, Kiana and Ali were five years old and Taghi had fled to Paris. In the cell I only thought about the loneliness, about the helplessness of my children, so small, so alone: it was unbearable. I was saved only because of my belief in the freedom of every human being. In this way, suffering does not decrease, but rather finds meaning. I can not complain”.
– An old photo of Mohammadi with her husband (Afp)
Now his children are 17 years old and went to Oslo to accept the award on his behalf. What does this Nobel Prize mean to you?
“The message I sent, which Ali and Kiana read during the ceremony, began with the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” in honor of the Iranian people's revolution. For me, the Nobel Prize is a sign of global support for Iran's progressive movement. He rebels for Iran.
But also a recognition of his courage as an activist who dedicated his life to the dream of a free country by going in and out of prison.
“The last time I was released from prison was in 2020. I immediately tried to go to Paris, where my children and husband live, but I was banned from leaving the country.” I was a year released for a long time, then they tried me again and convicted me. They put me in solitary confinement for the fourth time. They never questioned me nor did I see a lawyer. I was sentenced to eight years and three months and 74 lashes, which I am serving.”
– The empty chair at the Nobel Prize ceremony (Afp)
In Evin?
“First in Qarchak, a women’s prison. A month later I suffered a heart attack and was allowed to go to the hospital where I was operated on. After six months, I was transferred to the women’s section of Evin Prison in Tehran.”
He began a hunger strike a month ago after his health deteriorated. They refused to allow her to leave the prison for an important visit because she refused to wear the hijab. Instead of the veil, death?
“The compulsory hijab is not a religious obligation or a cultural model, nor, as the regime says, the way to preserve the dignity and safety of women.” The compulsory hijab is a tool to subjugate and dominate us. It is one of the foundations of authoritarian theocracy and I fight against it with all my heart. The murder of Mahsa-Jina Amini and hundreds of demonstrators on the streets, the murder of Armita Garawand are and will always be a pain shooting up my throat. Not wearing the veil even during a necessary medical examination is my protest and my form of resistance against the oppressor: I will never take a step back.”
In the past he has denounced violence against women and rape in prisons. What is happening in Iran's most notorious prison?
“Violence against women and especially against demonstrators is not only constant here. I witnessed the battered, broken and injured bodies of the inmates. Attacks on female prisoners are among the most repressive tools the regime has used in the past year, although they have always been a widespread practice in the Islamic Republic. My companions and I experienced isolation and maximum security, we heard so many stories about sexual assault. Then comes the next level: the curtains.”
Last year the regime hanged hundreds of people. Eight demonstrators.
“Executions are among the most serious human rights violations. The authorities are doing something else shocking that is less talked about: they are locking up those who protested in psychiatric centers. The brutality of what they do there is shocking. I also protested for them in prison.”
Are your struggles finding support in prison?
“Today I see more unity, empathy and motivation to fight among female prisoners. We political prisoners come from different backgrounds and backgrounds, but we all have the same goal: to end the rule of the Islamic Republic, and for this reason we “work” together. There are women among us in their 70s who we respect as mothers. And six girls under 25 who we love as daughters. We are a family.”
How does he live his days?
“I study a lot, talk to friends, organize parties, exercise and do daily activities that make me feel like life goes on.” Let us continue the fight from here with hunger strikes, sit-ins and resistance to the veil . Prison walls will not stop my voice from reaching the world.”
What is he fighting for?
“For the realization of democracy, freedom and equality.” We Iranians want a strong and independent civil society. Without respect for human rights and therefore women’s rights, there is no democracy.”
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What is the strength of the Women, Life and Freedom movement?
“It is a revolutionary movement that arose from the initiative of women, in which men and various classes and groups of society took part – students, youth, teachers, workers.” This characteristic has made the widespread spread of civil disobedience possible , despite the harsh repression on the streets. I believe that “Women, Life, Freedom” has significantly accelerated the country's democratization process. It brought irreversible changes. I am very confident about Iran’s future.”
What do you expect from the international community?
“It is important for the world to see and recognize our struggle and the changes in Iranian society. I expect foreign governments and global public opinion to guarantee human rights and the democratic process in Iran.”