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Nobel Peace Prize awarded to jailed Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi for ‘fight against oppression of women’

The campaigner, 51, was awarded the prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.

Narges Mohammadi. Pic: Mohammadi family archive photos/Reuters

Jailed Iranian women’s rights activist Narges Mohammadi has won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023.

The 51-year-old campaigner was given the award “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.

The award also recognised the hundreds of thousands of people who have demonstrated against Iranian discrimination and oppression of women.

Anoosheh Ashoori, who spent five years in Iran’s notorious Evin prison – the same prison where Ms Mohammadi is serving multiple sentences – told Sky News he is worried about her even more now she has won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Mr Ashoori said he met “many other innocent people” there, adding that some “are still there, just going through that hell right now”.

He said he saw broken glass and blood on the floor of a medical centre during his time there and was told Ms Mohammadi had been pushed and thrown into a glass door by the prison’s director, adding: “He was quite famous for his brutalities.”

Asked if he thought the award might have a negative impact on her treatment and time in the jail, he said: “I am worried about it because I know how these beasts behave. It can have repercussions and I’m really worried about her safety.”

Responding to the news of the award, Ms Mohammadi vowed to be “more resilient, determined, hopeful and enthusiastic”.

“I will never stop striving for the realisation of democracy, freedom and equality,” she said in a statement to the New York Times.

“Standing alongside the brave mothers of Iran, I will continue to fight against the relentless discrimination, tyranny and gender-based oppression by the oppressive religious government until the liberation of women,” she added.

Her family said in a statement that while the honour could “never compensate” them for the time she had spent imprisoned, it was a “source of solace for our indescribable suffering”.

Who is Narges Mohammadi?

Ms Mohammadi is one of Iran’s leading human rights activists, and has also campaigned against the country’s death penalty.

She has been in prison almost continually over the last 13 years, having been jailed for 11 years in 2011 for “acting against the national security”.

That sentence was for her work with the Iranian human rights group, Defenders of Human Rights Center, of which she is vice-president.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/nobel-peace-prize-awarded-to-irans-narges-mohammadi-12978009

Iranian Girl in Coma After Being Assaulted, Pulled Out of Train by Cops For Not Wearing Hijab | WATCH

A purported video of the incident shows that the teen, with friends and apparently unveiled, being pushed into the metro by female police agents and then an immobile body pulled out. (Photo: X)

A 16-year-old Iranian girl is fighting for her life after alleged assault by police officers who dragged her out of Tehran Metro for violating the hijab law, rights groups said. The incident came a year after the death of Mahsa Amini that sparked global outrage.

The victim, Armita Garawand, hails from the city of Kermanshah in Kurdish-populated western Iran and is currently a resident of Tehran. She is now coma and is being treated at the hospital under heavy security.

The Kurdish-focused rights group Hengaw said the teenager, had been badly injured in a confrontation on the Tehran metro with female police officers.

However, Iranian authorities have refused these allegations and said the girl “fainted” due to low blood pressure and that there was no involvement of the security forces.

A purported video of the incident shows that the teen, with friends and apparently unveiled, being pushed into the metro by female police agents and then an immobile body pulled out.

VIDEO: 16-year-old Armita Garawand was reportedly assaulted by Iran’s morality police. She remains in a coma. Last year, Iranian police killed Masha Amini in a similar incident, sparking nationwide protests. pic.twitter.com/OwC4Tn4FbJ

— Trey Yingst (@TreyYingst) October 3, 2023

Hengaw said that Garawand was left with severe injuries after being apprehended and physically attacked by agents of the so-called morality police at the Shohada metro station in Tehran on Sunday. It said she was being treated under tight security at Tehran’s Fajr hospital and “there are currently no visits allowed for the victim, not even from her family”.

IRAN AUTHORITIES ON HIGH ALERT
In the wake of the incident, Iranian authorities were on high alert for any upsurge of social tension. Last year, the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress rules for women, sparked several months of protests that rattled Iran’s clerical leadership and only dwindled in the face of a crackdown that according to activists has seen thousands arrested and hundreds killed.

Masood Dorosti, managing director of the Tehran subway system, denied there was “any verbal or physical conflict” between the student and “passengers or metro executives”. “Some rumours about a confrontation with metro agents… are not true and CCTV footage refutes this claim,” Dorosti told state news agency IRNA.

Source: https://www.news18.com/world/iranian-girl-in-coma-after-being-assaulted-pulled-out-of-train-by-cops-for-not-wearing-hijab-watch-8603346.html

Iran to impose tougher punishments on women who refuse to wear headscarf

The new legislation comes just days after the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman whose death at the hands of Iran’s morality police sparked significant protests.

Protesters hold signs with Mahsa Amini’s picture on the anniversary of her death during a protest outside the White House

Iran has passed a law to impose more severe punishments on women who refuse to wear the mandatory Islamic headscarf in public.

The new legislation comes just days after the anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who had been detained by the morality police for violating the country’s dress code.

Her death in custody sparked months of protests in which demonstrators called for the overthrow of Iran’s theocracy.

The bill extends punishments to business owners who serve women not wearing the hijab and activists who organise against it.

Anyone who violates the legislation could face up to 10 years in prison if the offence occurs in an organised way.

The bill, which was approved by 152 members of Iran’s 290-seat parliament, requires ratification by the Guardian Council, a clerical body that serves as a constitutional watchdog.

It would take effect for a preliminary period of three years.

The protests sparked by Ms Amini’s death on 16 September 2022 died down early this year following a heavy crackdown on dissent in which more than 500 protesters were killed and more than 22,000 detained.

But many women continued to flaunt the rules on wearing the hijab, prompting a new campaign to enforce them in recent months.

Source : https://news.sky.com/story/iran-to-impose-tougher-punishments-on-women-who-refuse-to-wear-headscarf-12965960

‘Freedom!’: Briton and four Americans released in Iran prisoner swap arrive in US

There were emotional scenes after the plane carrying the five freed prisoners, including Briton Morad Tahbaz, landed in Virginia.

Five people released from Iran in a controversial prisoner swap deal with the US have touched down on American soil.

The prisoners were freed after President Joe Biden agreed to the release of almost $6bn (£4.84bn) in frozen Iranian assets.

Conservationist Morad Tahbaz – who has British, US and Iranian citizenship – was released alongside four other US-Iranian dual nationals including businessmen Siamak Namazi and Emad Sharghi.

They tearfully hugged loved ones during an emotional reunion at an army airfield at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

The former prisoners also posed for a photograph with their families, calling out “freedom!”

Their arrival, in the early hours of Tuesday morning, prompted applause and cheers from people on the ground.

Mr Namazi, the first to leave the jet, paused for a moment, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

‘The nightmare is finally over’

Close friends and family, some holding small American flags, embraced them and exchanged greetings in both English and Farsi, the main language spoken in Iran.

Mr Namazi’s brother Babak, who was joined at the airport by his father Baquer, a former detainee in Iran, said: “The nightmare is finally over.

“We haven’t had this moment in over eight years,” he added. “It’s unbelievable.”

Mr Sharghi’s sister Neda presented him with a US flag and a toy stuffed animal she gave to their father 30 years ago when he had bypass surgery, a family representative said.

They were all jailed on spying charges at Iran’s notorious Evin prison, where Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe was held.

Source: https://news.sky.com/story/freedom-briton-and-four-americans-released-in-iran-prisoner-swap-arrive-in-us-12965081

Thousands march in Brussels on anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death

Iranian emigres marched in Brussels on Friday, the eve of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman whose death in the custody of Iran’s morality police sparked months of anti-government protests.

Thousands of demonstrators, holding up pictures of Amini and many others killed in the protests, called for the overthrow of Iran’s theocracy and the establishment of a democratic republic.

Organisers said they had also demanded a unified European Union policy to hold Iran’s Shi’ite clerical rulers accountable for abuses.

People hold a placard with pictures of, as Iranian call them, martyrs, during a rally of Iranian diaspora in Europe, on the eve of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, which prompted protests across their country, in Brussels, Belgium September 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman

The protests that followed the death of Amini, arrested for allegedly flouting the Islamic Republic’s mandatory dress code, spiralled into the biggest show of opposition to the Iranian authorities in years.

Over 500 people including 71 minors were killed, hundreds injured and thousands arrested, rights groups say, in unrest that was eventually crushed by security forces.

Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/thousands-march-brussels-anniversary-mahsa-aminis-death-2023-09-15/

Iran: Weightlifter Mostafa Rajai banned for photo with Israeli

Mostafa Rajai (right) shakes hands with Maksim Svirsky at the World Masters Championship in Poland

An Iranian weightlifter has been given a lifetime ban by Iran’s weightlifting federation after talking to and shaking hands with an Israeli participant at the World Masters Championship.

Mostafa Rajai won silver at the event and was snapped on the podium standing next to the Israeli bronze medallist.

Iran’s top weightlifting body later banned him from all sports facilities in the country for life.

Iran’s authorities ban athletes from direct competition with Israelis.

As a result, Iranian sportspersons often resort to various methods including throwing games or feigning injury to avoid match-ups.

Rajai, 40, was draped in his country’s national flag as he stood next to Israeli athlete Maksim Svirsky on Saturday.

The two were at a non-professional competition for “legends” of weightlifting in Wieliczka, Poland.

Rajai had previously represented Iran at the 2015 Asian Weightlifting Championships in Thailand and is a former member of the Iranian national team.

State news agency Irna reported that he had “crossed the red lines of the Islamic republic”.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-66660901

US Confiscates Iran Oil Cargo On Tanker Amid Tensions: Report

As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program.

Washington: The U.S. confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm.
As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by the U.S. over Iran’s nuclear program. Iran does not recognise the sanctions, and its oil exports have been rising.

Tehran says its nuclear program is for civilian purposes while Washington suspects Iran wants to develop a nuclear bomb.

Maritime security company Ambrey said the U.S. confiscation took place at least five days before Iran’s action on Thursday. “Ambrey has assessed the seizure by the Iranian Navy to be in response to the U.S. action,” it said in an advisory to clients.

“Both tankers were Suezmax-sized. Iran has previously responded tit-for-tat following seizures of Iranian oil cargo.”

The sources familiar with the matter, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said Washington took control of the oil cargo aboard the Marshall Islands tanker Suez Rajan after securing an earlier court order. The tanker’s last reported position was near southern Africa on April 22, ship tracking data showed.

The vessel’s Greece-based manager, Empire Navigation, and the U.S. Department of Justice did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The U.S. Navy said Iran seized a Marshall Islands-flagged tanker in the Gulf of Oman on Thursday, the latest seizure or attack by Tehran on commercial vessels in sensitive Gulf waters.

Iranian state TV said on Friday the tanker ignored radio calls for eight hours following a collision with an Iranian boat, which left several crewmen injured and three missing. “Before using force, we tried to call the vessel …to stop but they did not cooperate,” Iranian deputy navy commander Rear Admiral Mostafa Tajodini told the broadcaster.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was aware of the Gulf of Oman seizure and reaffirmed support for international maritime law, a U.N. spokesperson said on Friday.

Last year the U.S. tried to confiscate a cargo of Iranian oil near Greece, which prompted Tehran to seize two Greek tankers in the Gulf. Greece’s supreme court ordered the cargo returned to Iran. The two Greek tankers were later released.

In a step likely to exacerbate tensions, 12 U.S. senatorson Thursday urged President Joe Biden to remove Treasury Department policy hurdles that have prevented the Department of Homeland Security from seizing Iranian oil shipments for more than a year.

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Source : https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/us-confiscates-iran-oil-cargo-on-tanker-amid-tehran-tensions-report-3989562

Iran warns of ‘immediate counter-response’ if US attacks its bases after strikes on Syria

Tehran has issued the threat after a drone attack that left an American contractor dead sparked a series of tit-for-tat strikes in Syria.

Soldiers at a US military base in northeastern Syria in 2019. File pic

Strikes on Iranian-linked bases will be met with an “immediate counter-response” after the reported deaths of 19 people in US attacks on Syria, an Iranian security spokesperson has warned.

Keyvan Khosravi made the remarks after the US carried out a series of strikes on the east of the country in one of the deadliest exchanges between American and Iranian-aligned forces in years.

The US strikes were in response to a drone attack on Thursday that left one American contractor dead and another wounded along with five US troops.

Washington said the attack was from Iran.

In a string of tit-for-tat strikes that followed, officials said another US service member was wounded and local sources said suspected US rocket fire hit more locations in eastern Syria.

US air raids on pro-Iran installations killed three Syrian troops, 11 Syrian fighters in pro-government militias and five non-Syrian fighters who were aligned with the government, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The monitor’s head Rami Abdel Rahman could not specify the nationalities of the foreigners.

Iran has said its forces and allied fighters are in Syria at the request of Damascus and sees US forces as occupiers.

Mr Khosravi, spokesperson for Iran’s top security body, was quoted by the semi-official news agency Nournews as saying: “Any pretext to attack bases created at the request of the Syrian government to deal with terrorism and Islamic State elements in this country will be met with an immediate counter-response.”