Per Olav Ødegård
Commentator in VG. Former foreign journalist and correspondent for VG in the USA. Writes mostly about international affairs.
Roar Hagen
This year, the Nobel Peace Prize should go to Iranian women’s fight for basic human rights.
This is a comment. The comment expresses the writer’s position It has been suggested that this year’s Nobel Peace Prize should go to Iranian women’s fight for basic human rights, in light of a powerful protest movement that arose in Iran just over a year ago. The protest started after a young woman, Mahsa Jina Amini, died in the custody of the morality police due to accusations of improper use of the mandatory head covering. The regime responded to the protests with brutal violence and repression, during which hundreds of protesters were killed and over 20,000 were arrested. Two Iranian women known for their fight for human rights, Masih Alinejad and Narges Mohammadi are among the well-known names nominated for this year’s peace prize. Alinejad has fought for freedom of expression, democracy and women’s rights from exile in the USA, while Mohammadi is a prominent human rights activist who is currently imprisoned in Iran. Show more
About a year ago, a powerful protest movement arose in Iran. What triggered the nationwide and massive protests was the death of a young woman in the custody of the Moral Police.
Mahsa Jina Amini’s “crime” was that she should have worn the prescribed headgear in the wrong way.
Woman, life, freedom, became the slogan of the non-violent protests.
The regime responded as dictatorships always do when those at the top feel threatened. They used brutal violence and oppression. Several hundred protesters were killed and well over 20,000 were arrested. Some were sentenced to death and executed.
DEATH IN CUSTODY: A protester holds up a picture of Mahsa Jina Amini in a demonstration outside the Iranian embassy in Brussels in autumn 2022. Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD / AFP / NTB
Once again, the Iranian regime showed its true face. But the world also saw a different Iran.
Brave and proud Iranians who stood up against gross injustice. It started as a protest against the systematic discrimination against women and developed into a wider struggle for civil and political rights.
Woman, life, freedom arose spontaneously. But the response was so powerful because the horror of what happened to Amini touched the experiences of far too many Iranian women.
The religious leaders have introduced laws that discriminate against women in many ways, including how they should dress. The law is enforced by the hated morality police. And they are zealous in their service.
MASS MARCH: A woman who has thrown off her headscarf and thousands of others heading towards Mahsa Jina Amini’s hometown, 40 days after she died in moral police custody. Photo: – / AFP / NTB
There are 351 nominees for this year’s peace prize. Some of the names on the list have become known and among these are two Iranian women.
Masih Alinejad has for a number of years fought for freedom of expression, democracy and women’s rights in Iran. She lives in exile in the United States.
Narges Mohammadi is a leading human rights activist in Iran who is imprisoned for his many years of struggle for peace and freedom.
Masih Alinejad is currently in exile in the United States. Photo: BING GUAN / Reuters / NTB
Mohammadi is associated with the Iranian Center for Human Rights, which a former peace prize winner established. In 2003, Shirin Ebadi received the peace prize for her efforts for democracy and women’s rights.
Ebadi is the first peace prize winner from Iran. At this time, she was also the first Muslim woman to receive the award. 20 years later, the time should be right for the Nobel Committee to once again direct the spotlight on the struggle for human rights in Iran.
PICTURE OF THE YEAR: Javad Parsa’s picture of Iranians in exile in Norway looking at TV images of wounded protesters in Iran was named Picture of the Year in 2022. Photo: Javad Parsa / NTB
Giving the prize to a jailed activist may involve a risk. Unfortunately, it is not the case that the peace prize necessarily provides greater protection, at least not in authoritarian regimes.
That is an assessment the Nobel Committee must make. But several times, and as recently as last year, the award has gone to a prisoner of conscience.
There is another argument in favor of the prize going to Iranian women. It is 75 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted.
A large part of the world’s population is deprived of the rights that form the very basis for peace and freedom. Iran’s women show that they are willing to fight for their right, even if the price is high. They have inspired a whole world.
Published:
Published: 04.10.23 at 17:14
Copy linkCopy linkShare on FacebookShare on FacebookShare by emailShare by email
2023-10-04 15:14:36
#Comment #Give #Nobel #Peace #Prize #Iranian #women
