In a message smuggled out of her cell in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, imprisoned Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi has urged Iranians to continue with the "unstoppable process" of dismantling Iran's "religious authoritarian regime."
Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last month for her battle for women's rights in Iran, wrote in a message read out by her 17-year-old daughter, Kiana Rahmani, that Iranians "demand democracy, freedom, human rights, and equality, and the Islamic republic is the main obstacle in the way of realizing these national demands."
"We... are struggling to transition away from this religious authoritarian regime through solidarity and drawing on the power of a nonviolent and unstoppable process in order to revive the honor and pride of Iran and human dignity and prestige for its people," her daughter said, reading the message out in French.
"Victory is not easy, but it is certain."
In a separate message posted on her Instagram account on November 1, Mohammadi demanded an immediate cease-fire in Israel’s war against Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU.
“The reality is that 'war' and 'tyranny' are two sides of the same coin, both destructive to humanity and taking lives,” she said. “The attacks on innocent people, the killing of children, women, and noncombatants, their hostage-taking, the bombing of hospitals and schools, and the missile strikes on residential areas have left the world in astonishment, horror, and even despair.”
She said that though her feet are in chains “behind the cold and dark walls of Evin Prison,” she demands an end to the war, respect for human rights, and the possibility of peaceful coexistence among the people of the Middle East.
“I am confident that with the power of global public opinion and the international unity of human rights defenders and peacemakers, this path, though difficult, will be realized. With the hope for global peace, equality, and freedom,” she said.
Renowned globally as a staunch advocate for the "Women, Life, Freedom" movement, Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on October 6. For years she has consistently voiced dissent against the obligatory hijab rule imposed on Iranian women, as well as restrictions on women's freedoms and rights in the country by its Islamic rulers.
Mohammadi, whose family fled to France, has been arrested 13 times, convicted five times, and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes for her work on campaigns for freedom of expression and women's rights.
In the message read by her daughter, Mohammadi condemned "a regime that has institutionalized deprivation and poverty in society for 45 years" and said Iran's leadership was built "on lies, deception, cunning, and intimidation."
In a comment on unrest triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 while in police custody for a head scarf violation, and more recently the death last month of 17-year-old Armita Garavand after reportedly having an altercation with morality police in a Tehran subway car over the hijab, Mohammadi said the law "is a means of control and repression imposed on the society and on which the continuation and survival of this authoritarian religious regime depends."
Thousands of protesters have been detained and hundreds killed by security forces in the government's crackdown on unrest over Amini's death.