Nobel Prize winner Mohammadi: “Given up everything for my efforts”

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi will receive the Nobel Peace Prize in absentia tomorrow. From prison she talks about “White Torture” and her greatest pain. She is on a hunger strike lasting several days.

ARD: You cannot accept the Nobel Peace Prize in person. What is your message on awards day?

Narges Mohammadi: I call on the world to support the realization of human rights in Iran, Afghanistan and among all peoples of the region for lasting peace, and to consider human rights as absolutely necessary and a prerequisite for any negotiations, treaties and contacts with these governments. Until democracy is achieved in the countries of the Middle East, lasting peace will not become a reality.

Authoritarian governments are the source of extremist and terrorist movements that spread insecurity, violence and instability around the world. Democracy will not be achieved in the countries of the Middle East as long as human rights and civil society are not protected in these countries.

ARD: The Nobel Peace Prize also honors all those Iranian women who have taken to the streets against the regime since the death of Jina Mahsa Amini a year ago under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom.” Where is this movement now?

Mohammadi: The religious-authoritarian government has relentlessly suppressed the “Woman, Life, Freedom” liberation movement with all its might and resources; using the most violent methods. The government is forced to extend its repression into all social milieus. Repression takes place everywhere: in schools, even elementary schools, universities, on the streets, in hospitals, concerts, stadiums and sports halls, at political, social, economic and cultural events.

People are increasingly confronting the government by organizing into social movements in creative and diverse ways. The fact that the government is expanding its repression to such an extent shows how strong the protests are and how broadly anchored they are now in society. Even though the protest is no longer on the streets, its spirit is still there.

“Endless, terrible nightmare”

ARD: They had to experience the so-called White Torture themselves four times while in solitary confinement. You report how you and other inmates are locked in two by three meter small, permanently lit cells, often without daylight. What effect did this solitary confinement have on you?

Mohammadi: When I was first placed in solitary confinement in 2001, I was 29 years old. In the cell I only felt fear, terror and uncertainty. The solitary cell was an unknown phenomenon for me; I was completely confused and stunned. The interrogations consisted only of threats; there were no normal conversations or words. The encroaching silence was like a constant scream that paralyzed my brain cells.

My second solitary confinement in 2010, when my children, the twins Ali and Kiana, were three years and five months old, was also virtually fatal. It was a place of torment. The suffering of that time is indescribable. I don’t know how I endured it.

This time is an endless, terrible nightmare inside me. During this time, I fainted several times in the cell. My body was covered in bruises and wounds. Despite the fear of having to experience this solitary confinement again, I am determined to continue the fight.

“Long-lasting effects on mind, soul and body”

ARD: You interviewed other torture victims, which the film “Unbreakable” is now showing on German television for the first time. With these interviews they were able to show how political prisoners were psychologically broken and forced to make false confessions, which threatened them with conviction and, in some cases, execution. What moved you most during your interviews?

Mohammadi: What shocked me and what was difficult for me to grasp were the effects and consequences of solitary confinement. Even those who had been in solitary confinement for decades spoke of the lingering effects on their minds, souls and even bodies. It’s a frightening reality. And yet people who have endured solitary confinement continue to receive no treatment for these traumas. That’s because so little is known about this type of torture.

The accounts of people in solitary confinement and subjected to white torture are unbearable. I had to stop the conversation several times because stories like the one about forced confessions were so disturbing. I often think of those who made forced confessions while in solitary confinement and were executed. Their stories are buried with them.

Separation from children “like dying”

ARD: They have been in prison for years and continue to fight. Are there moments when you are weak?

Mohammadi: As the years of my life passed behind the walls of Evin Prison, my goal was always to stand up and fight against injustice. Regime forces arrested me three times, separated me from my children and took me to prison. I always doubted my ability to survive. The word “difficult” is definitely not loud and clear enough.

Kiana and Ali’s separation was almost like dying. In the moments when I think about the lack of a mother during Ali and Kiana’s childhood and adolescence, I am sometimes overcome by a crushing sadness that makes me think that I will not survive this – even if I am not defeated by this long separation.

I gave up everything as a woman, mother and human being for my commitment to freedom, equality and democracy and I don’t regret that. But that doesn’t apply to my children Ali and Kiana. I regret that I cannot be with them.

The interview was conducted by Katja Deiß, HR