October is the sacred month when the Nobel Prize committee announces who surpassed certain skills and knowledge in the fields of physics, chemistry, literature, economics, medicine, and peace.

Nevertheless, certain awards have sparked more controversy than others, especially considering the awarded individuals receive a gold medal, cash sum, and worldwide respect.

Indeed, the Nobel Prize has stirred up debates as to the legitimacy of the crowned person’s work, with notable controversial winners including Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya and Barack Obama being nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Narges Mohammadi has just won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize

Image credits: Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto/Getty Images

However, this year’s Peace Prize winner has had people collectively approving, as it went to the jailed Iranian women’s rights activist Narges Mohammadi.

The 51-year-old campaigner was given the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023 in Oslo on Friday (October 6) “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all”.

Narges was sentenced to a total of 31 years

Image credits: Al Jazeera English

The award also acknowledged the millions of brave civilians who have protested against Iranian discrimination and oppression of women.

Narges told the New York Times: “I will never stop striving for the realization of democracy, freedom and equality.

“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.

The prize also honored the millions of people who have protested against Iranian discrimination and oppression of women

Image credits: Albert Stoynov

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

Narges, who has also campaigned against the country’s death penalty, 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”.

Narges was punished for her work with the Iranian human rights group, Defenders of Human Rights Center

Image credits: Stanford Iranian Studies Program

The mom-of-two had been punished for her work with the Iranian human rights group, Defenders of Human Rights Center, of which she is vice-president.

In 2016, she was reportedly imprisoned for 16 years by an Iranian court for “establishing and running the illegal splinter group” Legam – which opposed the death penalty.

The brave woman was released in October 2020 but arrested again in November last year after she had partaken in a memorial for a victim of violent protests that erupted in 2019.

The EU was amongst the controversial Nobel Peace Prize winners in the past

Image credits: Christian Lue

Narges has been convicted five times and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison throughout her life. She is currently in prison for “spreading propaganda”.

The Nobel committee said Narges’ struggle has come “at great personal cost”.

Berit Reiss-Andersen, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, continued: “She fights for women against systematic discrimination and oppression.

Former US president Barack Obama won the Noble Peace Prize in 2009, which also raised some eyebrows

Image credits: Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton

“This prize is first and foremost a recognition of the very important work of a whole movement in Iran with its undisputed leader, Nargis Mohammadi.

“The impact of the prize is not for the Nobel committee to decide upon.

“We hope that it is an encouragement to continue the work in whichever form this movement finds to be fitting.”

Another controversial win includes Yasser Arafat, Yitzhak Rabin, and Shimon Peres sharing the 1994 award for their Oslo Peace Accords

Image credits: Gideon Markowiz, Israel Press and Photo Agency (I.P.P.A.) / Dan Hadani collection, National Library of Israel / CC BY 4.0

Concurrently, Iran’s state-controlled news agency, Fars, has reported that the human rights defender’s award had come from “the Westerners”, and that Narges “had made headlines multiple times due to her acts against the national security”.

Narges is not only the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize but also the second Iranian woman, following the footsteps of human rights activist Shirin Eadi, awarded in 2003.

In 1973, some people weren’t too pleased to see Henry Kissinger win the Noble Peace Prize

Image credits: Kenry A. Kissinger, U.S. Secretary of State

Despite this year’s consensus that Narges was more than deserving of the accolade, other Nobel Peace Prize winners have in the past raised some eyebrows.

In 2012, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to the European Union, a recipient many complained about as the EU was dealing at the time with several pressing economic problems, including the Greek debt crisis.

Additionally, several European countries make and sell weapons.

In 1973, some people weren’t too pleased to see Henry Kissinger, the U.S. Secretary of State at the time, win the Noble Peace Prize jointly with North Vietnam’s Le Duc Tho for brokering a cease-fire.

Henry had ordered a bombing raid of Hanoi while negotiating the cease-fire, and Le Duc Tho had refused his half of the award, prompting two members of the committee, who had voted against Henry’s selection, to resign in protest.

Despite the numerous Nobel Peace Prize controversies, the general consensus was that Narges was more than deserving of this year’s award

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