Narges Mohammadi is a primordial force, driven by the belief in rights – of man, women and life.
That she is awarded this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is a prize for all women who risk their lives in Iran, writes TV4 Nyhetern’s Terese Cristiansson.
It was a rather cold January evening in Tehran. The photographer Felix Larnö and I had received a message that the human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was ready to meet. She was temporarily out of the infamous Evin prison and the meeting was to take place without the knowledge of the regime and was surrounded by some secrecy.
We were nervous. What hit us in the doorway was courage. Even though she knew that she risked being arrested again or never seeing her twins Kiana and Ali who live outside Iran with their father, she wanted to meet us.
To talk about the death penalty and even more about his latest book “White Torture” which is interviews from within Evin about how isolation is used as a torture method.
Refused to wear veil
We also talked for a long time about the compulsory veiling in Iran. Narges herself did not want to wear a veil during the interview. She knew then that she would soon be arrested again. But she didn’t know that 1.5 years later the death of Mahsa Jina Amini would start huge demonstrations across the country.
Narges Mohammadi has since managed to organize support for the Women, Life, Freedom demonstrations from within Evin prison and bring the issue of sexual violence against Iranian prisoners up on the agenda.
I’m not surprised.
An unforgettable meeting
She has long ago chosen to sacrifice everything for the voice of others. To be the voice of others. Take the whip for them. There is criticism against her, her background and that she works for changes from within Iran’s complex system.
It’s another price she has to pay. But the fact that she now receives the peace prize shines a light not only on her struggle, but on hundreds of thousands of women inside Iran. The last thing Narges said when Felix and I left the apartment with the camera’s memory card hidden in our clothes was: -Don’t forget us. Impossible. An unforgettable meeting.