Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi tells the AP that Iranians paying the price for war and repression

Iranians are suffering as economic misery and internal repression leave “no room for people to breathe” after 1½ years of wars, Iran's most prominent human rights activist has told The Associated Press.Narges Mohammadi, 54, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was temporarily released from prison for medical reasons earlier this year after falling unconscious and being transferred to a hospital.Her memoir — titled “A Woman Never Stops Fighting” — was written behind bars, with parts of it smuggled out by fellow inmates. Editions in French, German and nine other languages are being released this month. The English and Farsi editions will be released next year.In an interview conducted Friday by The Associated Press from outside Iran, Mohammadi said that Iranians are grappling with multiple crises stemming from the ongoing war and deepening economic pressure, and the brutal crackdowns on protests.“I am sorry to say, but since the outbreak of war, in the past months and last year and a half, we have seen that repression in society has severely increased and now, with these economic pressures and with the repression that really has left no room for people to breathe, it’s the people who are paying an extremely heavy price,” she said.But she said that many Iranians continue to resist, a change she traces back to the 2022 protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in a hospital after being detained for violating authorities' strict Islamic dress code.The release of Mohammadi's book this month coincides with Amini's death to honor her memory, her representatives said.

The English and Farsi editions will be released in September 2027 for the same reason.“If you go out into the streets, you see a wave of resistance among the people, a wave of awareness, and their determination to stand up for their rights,” Mohammadi said. She said that government repression has intensified, but that many in a new younger generation “know their rights” and were standing firm. “And that gives us reason for hope,” she said.The AP agreed not to ask Mohammadi specific questions about the political situation and leadership in Iran, because of concerns for her safety, though she commented generally about the cost of war.Mohammadi says her detention was ‘life-threatening’In her interview with the AP, Mohammadi — who has been jailed repeatedly over decades…