Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Calls for Gaza Ceasefire

Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist who won this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, has called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. 

"Behind the cold and dark walls of [Tehran’s] Evin prison, although my feet are in chains, I’m still demanding an immediate ceasefire," she said in an Instagram post on November 1.

Mohammadi, known for her unwavering commitment to human rights, stressed the profound interconnectedness of "war" and "tyranny," asserting that both are inherently destructive to humanity.

Mohammadi, whose family took refuge in France, has been arrested 13 times, convicted five times, and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes for her activism.

She has been one of the women spearheading the "Woman, Life, Freedom" uprising in Iran.

Her call for an end to hostilities in the Middle East came as Israeli ground forces pushed deeper into the Gaza Strip in their attempt to destroy Hamas.

The Israeli military has been bombing the Palestinian territory since the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel that killed 1,400 people and saw more than 230 people kidnapped as hostages.

The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza says more than 8,700 people, including 2,913 children, have been killed since Israel's retaliatory bombing started.