The children of Nobel Prize-winning Iranian Narges Mohammadi have paid a moving tribute to their mother after she revealed in a new autobiography that she was afraid of dying without ever seeing them again.
Ms Mohammadi's teenage son Ali Rahmani said it was not up to his mother to feel bad – it was up to the Iranian regime. He was speaking at a launch event for activist Ms Mohammadi's book, A Woman Never Stops Fighting, in France.
“It is not up to my mother to blame herself for not having been present, or to regret the times she was away, or to wonder if it was her fault. The one responsible is the Iranian regime,” said Mr Rahmani, 19, who lives in Paris. “They are the ones who tear families apart - who hurt mothers and children, and fathers too - who destroy and kill.”
"When I heard my mother say how terribly guilty she felt and apologise to us for those months and years of absence, it hurt me deeply - even though I was also glad, because it showed her love," he said.
His twin sister, Kiana Rahmani, said their mother had not been able to leave Iran since 2009 and does not possess a passport. "I am proud of her, and we want to tell her, 'We are proud of you,' she said.
Ms Mohammadi, 54, was released from prison in May on health grounds after her most recent arrest late last year. She has spent more than a decade in prison for her activism for women's rights and against the death penalty. Her children accepted her Nobel Prize in 2023 on her behalf.
Chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee Jorgen Frydnes told The National that he had spoken to Ms Mohammadi several hours before the event in Paris and that she sounded motivated and enthusiastic. “But that always goes with the seriousness of the situation. She is not well medically. She is coping with heart disease,” he said.
husband of Narges Mohammadi
Her French editor, Robert Laffont, said honouring her work held “particular significance”. Editorial assistant Ines Vandenbergen said: “It reminds us all that we must never stop fighting for our rights and our freedom, and that the most powerful weapon is the spoken word.”
'Bad mother'
In a recorded message broadcast at the event, which took place at La Maison de la Poesie, Ms Mohammadi said the notes that became her book had been smuggled out of Iran over several years. Addressing her children, she said she hoped they would find it in their hearts to forgive her for her “physical absence and whatever hardships may still lie on the way ahead”.
In the book, Ms Mohammadi recounts chastising herself in detention for being a “bad mother”, and discusses how her motherhood was weaponised against her.
“During interrogations, 'reminding me' of my motherhood was a persistent, humiliating tactic. In prison, I was judged not only by jailers but also by other female prisoners,” she wrote.
“I was criticised by fellow women activists as well. Despite standing firm in prison and resisting in the streets, I was accused of abandoning my family and lectured on the supposed costs and benefits of my activities.”
Ms Mohammadi also tells of her fear of death during the June 2025 Israeli-US bombing campaign on Tehran. Despite not being imprisoned, she suffered from the lack of communication with her children due to the internet blackout. “What a strange life this is, I thought to myself. Now I am fearing that I might have to leave this world without ever seeing my children again,” she wrote.
In 2015, Ms Mohammadi, in detention at the time and fearing for her children's safety, organised for them to catch a flight to Paris to live with their father, activist Taghi Rahmani. The couple had met through their shared dedication to defending human rights.
Three years earlier, Mr Rahmani, who risked returning to prison and had already spent more than a decade behind bars, had fled Iran on foot in midwinter through the Kurdish-Iranian mountains.
Speaking to The National, he said his wife would probably have to return to prison despite the health risks. “She is free – released on medical grounds – but she also suffered a blow to the head. She is in a very difficult situation, and there is no doubt she will be sent back to prison,” Mr Rahmani said.
