Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi Permanently Banned From Leaving Country

Narges Mohammadi, the recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her human rights advocacy in Iran, has revealed that she is permanently prohibited from leaving the country.

In an emotional birthday message to her 19-year-old twins whom she hasn't seen for over 11 years, Mohammadi expressed her frustration at being unable to reunite with them despite her efforts.

"I applied for a passport so I could come to you," the 53-year-old activist wrote to her children Kiana and Ali Rahmani. She explained that "the Islamic republic has issued and enforced two types of travel bans, including a 'permanent travel ban'" against her.

Mohammadi was released from prison in December last year on medical leave after serving over three years of her sentence. However, her legal representatives have cautioned that she could be re-arrested and returned to prison at any moment.

Her twin children reside in Paris with their father Taghi Rahmani, who is also a prominent Iranian activist with a history of extended imprisonment.

In her message, Mohammadi defiantly stated that the authorities "stamp the word 'permanent' on our documents, while they themselves live each day in fear of the fall that will inevitably come at the hands of the people of Iran."

The circumstances and timing of these travel restrictions remain unclear.

Kiana and Ali accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on their mother's behalf in Oslo in 2023, marking a poignant moment in their decade-long separation.

Mohammadi, who was most recently arrested in November 2021, has spent significant portions of the past decade incarcerated.

Despite the restrictions on her freedom, she has remained resolute in her activism. During video conference appearances at international events, she has refused to wear the mandatory headscarf required of all women in Iran.

She has consistently predicted the eventual collapse of Iran's clerical regime, which has governed the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979.