Nobel Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi: Behind the prison walls…

Narges Mohammadi, who spoke about solitary confinement in Iran’s Evin prison in her book “White Torture,” will today receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In absentia: She remains in detention. Her twins will now read her speech in Oslo. Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, fears there will be consequences for this as well.

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has gained international fame in recent years through her tireless determination and commitment to human rights. On October 6, 2023, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. On Human Rights Day today, she will be officially presented with the award in Oslo. Her two children, Kiana and Ali, will participate in the award ceremony and will speak on behalf of their mother, as she herself has to serve a several-year prison sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison. On Saturday, she went on a three-day hunger strike there.

“I spent sixty-four days in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, of the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The reason for this guilty verdict was the book you now hold in your hands – “White Torture” or in German “Women!” Life! “Freedom!”” It can be read in the introduction to her book, now also available in German translation. Fourteen women, including Narges Mohammadi herself, speak about their detention and their experiences in solitary confinement in Iranian prisons. A document on what happens behind the prison walls of the Islamic Republic; A joint project whose uniqueness lies not only in its place of origin, but above all in its theme: “white torture”.

“My cell was only three steps long. I felt dizzy just to keep moving such a short distance in such a small space, but what else could I do?” Without leaving any visible physical traces, prisoners are supposedly broken and depersonalized through sensory deprivation and psychological stress. Narges Mohammadi, who studied physics and worked as an engineer until 2009, managed to create a trustworthy community in the mass ward of the notorious Evin Prison, which Iranians also call “Evin University” because of the large number of intellectuals imprisoned there. An atmosphere where your conversation partners are willing to talk about taboo topics and answer their questions.