An Iranian human rights activist was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, beating out rumors Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would win the prestigious award.
Narges Mohammadi, 51, won the prize as a result of “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all,” according to the awards committee. “Her brave struggle has come with tremendous personal costs. Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times, and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. Ms Mohammadi is still in prison as I speak.”
Zelenskyy and Russian dissident Alexei Navalny were both rumored to be frontrunners for the prize, CNBC reported. Zelenskyy is the leader of the country invaded by Russia in February 2022 to, in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words, “demilitarize and de-Nazify.” Navalny is a political opponent of Putin who has said he was prosecuted and jailed for dissenting views. (RELATED: Biden Admin Begs Ukraine To Get Serious About Cutting Corruption)
First handed out in 1901, the Nobel prizes seek to commemorate individuals behind great achievements in various fields such as physics, chemistry, medicine, literature and peace. Nobel prizes are formally handed out in December in the capitals of Norway and Sweden along with roughly $1 million.
#NewsFlash | The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize to Narges Mohammadi for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all
(Picture Credit: Nobel Prize)#2023NobelPrize… pic.twitter.com/LK92ENdaE6
— CNBC-TV18 (@CNBCTV18Live) October 6, 2023
Former President Theodore Roosevelt became the first American to win a Nobel Peace Prize in 1906. He was awarded for his role in successfully arbitrating the end of the Russo-Japanese War and for his peaceful resolution of a dispute with Mexico, according to an official press release. President Roosevelt “was the first statesman” to receive the Peace Prize.