Editor's note: this story was translated from the original VOA Persian article.
Paris City Hall unveiled a banner expressing solidarity with human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
The unveiling ceremony took place on Wednesday, October 14, in front of Paris City Hall, attended by officials, parliamentarians, human rights activists, and Mohammadi’s family and former colleagues.
Narges Mohammadi’s Instagram page posted a video showing Mona Armand — a lawyer and human rights activist — reading a message sent by Mohammadi from Tehran.
The message stated: "Today, I want to ask something very simple of the journalists, political leaders, civil society activists, and women of France: do not forget the people of Iran. We are going through an incredibly difficult time. I am deeply concerned about the future of the children."
Ali Rahmani, head of the Narges Foundation and Narges Mohammadi's son, said at the ceremony: "At this very moment as I speak to you, countless numbers of my compatriots — most of whom are very young — are on death row. Following the killings of January 8 and 9 [Dey 18 and 19], the Islamic Republic has continued its machinery of repression through the use of the death penalty.
“Not a day goes by without us seeing — with fear and anxiety while watching the news — the faces of young people who have been hanged or are awaiting execution; grieving, anxious mothers; and families who have lost their loved ones."
He added: "If my mother were here, she would say only one thing: ‘Be their voice. Be the voice of these mothers and their families. Expose and condemn the oppression inflicted upon them — especially we French, who since 1981 have said "no" to the death penalty and to a justice system that kills. Let us uphold our values and, above all, never — ever — become inured to the suffering of another nation far removed from us.’"
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights previously reported that Komeil Mohammadi — a resident of Mashhad, Iran, and Narges Mohammadi's nephew — was arrested in the city by the regime's security forces on Thursday, October 1, and transferred to prison following an interrogation session.
Komeil Mohammadi is a laborer, and there have been no prior reports of political or social activism on his part.
While sanctioning Islamic Republic officials for their role in suppressing popular protests, President Donald Trump’s administration has emphasized that the United States is using economic tools to target the perpetrators of human rights violations against the Iranian people.
In many of its human rights reports on Iran, the U.S. State Department has cited the arrest and conviction of lawyers who defend political prisoners or support protesters as examples of the pressure exerted by the Islamic Republic on attorneys and human rights defenders.