Children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi accept the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf
Helsinki, Dec 10: The children of imprisoned Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi have accepted this year's Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in a ceremony Sunday in the Norwegian capital. Mohammadi is renowned for campaigning for women's rights and democracy in her country, as well as fighting against the death penalty.
Ali and Kiana Rahmani, Mohammadi's twin 17-year-old children who live in exile in Paris with their father.
Mohammadi, 51, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in October for her decades of activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. She is currently detained in a prison in Tehran.
At a news conference in Oslo on Saturday, Kiana Rahmani read out a message from her mother, in which the imprisoned activist praised the role international media played in "conveying the voice of dissenters, protesters and human rights defenders to the world."
Kiana Rahmani said she held little hope of seeing her mother again.
"Maybe I'll see her in 30 or 40 years, but I think I won't see her again. But that doesn't matter, because my mother will always live on in my heart, values that are worth fighting for," she said.
Mohammadi's brother and husband told reporters in Oslo that she planned to go on a hunger strike on Sunday in solidarity with the Baha'i Faith religious minority in Iran.
Rahmani's husband, Taghi, previously said that he hasn't been able to see his wife for 11 years, and their children haven't seen their mother for seven.
Mohammadi played a leading role in protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini last year while in police custody for allegedly violating the country's strict headscarf law which forces women to cover their hair and entire bodies.
Iranian authorities banned members of Amini's family from traveling to accept the European Union's top human rights prize the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought on her behalf, the U.S.-based HRANA said late Saturday.
Narges Mohammadi is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi won the award in 2003.
It's the fifth time in the 122-year history of the awards that the peace prize has been given to someone who is in prison or under house arrest.
The rest of the Nobel prizes are set to be handed out in separate ceremonies in Stockholm later Sunday.
Watch the very moment Narges Mohammadi’s children collected this year’s Nobel Peace Prize medal and diploma on behalf of their mother who is currently imprisoned. Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on human rights.
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) December 10, 2023
Learn more: https://t.co/8gkwD5Cuqb pic.twitter.com/NdB3HXNZNv
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11-year-old dies by suicide after sexual assault in Bareilly; accused arrested
Bareilly (UP) (PTI): A 26-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl, who later died by suicide due to trauma, police said on Wednesday.
The post-mortem report confirmed sexual assault and multiple injuries on the minor's body, including bite marks and nail scratches. The cause of death was found to be hanging, they said.
According to ASP (South) Anshika Verma, the incident came to light on 27 April, when the girl, a Class 8 student, was found hanging at her home in Deoria Abdullaganj village under the Mirganj police station area. Initially, the family reported the death as suicide and was reluctant to pursue police action.
"The autopsy report changed the course of the investigation. It confirmed sexual assault and noted severe physical trauma. The cause of death was confirmed as hanging," Verma said.
A breakthrough in the case came from the statement of the victim's younger sister, who told police that the accused, Zeeshan (26), a resident of the same village, frequently loitered near the minor's school and allegedly gave her small sums of money to keep his interactions with her a secret, she said.
Police said that on the day of the incident, the accused allegedly lured the minor and assaulted her. Distressed by the incident, the child later took her own life while her mother was away, police said.
"Based on technical surveillance, CCTV footage, and statements from the family, we established Zeeshan's involvement. He was arrested near the Mirganj weekly market on Tuesday," they said.
