Alex Therrien
Live reporter

Today's live coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize is now closing.

Want to know more about Narges Mohammadi, the jailed Iranian activist who scooped the prize? Read our profile here on a woman who has managed to publicise abuses even from inside prison. Her victory has been heralded by campaigners. But, as our diplomatic correspondent Caroline Hawley notes, it seems highly unlikely that the activist will be able to pick up her prize anytime soon.

You can read our write-up of Mohammadi's victory here.

The page was edited by me, and the writers were George Wright and Joshua Cheetham.

Image source, Gett

We're going to be wrapping up our live coverage of the Nobel Peace Prize soon. But before we do, here's a quick recap of what happened:

• Narges Mohammadi, a jailed Iranian human rights activist, was awarded the prize, with the Nobel committee lauding her fight against the oppression of women in the country, saying she was a "freedom fighter"
• The 51-year-old is currently serving a lengthy jail sentence in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, having been convicted of "spreading propaganda", but her family commented on her behalf, saying her win was a "historic and profound moment for Iran's fight for freedom"

• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was held in Evin jail with Mohammadi, said she was "so pleased" and that her fellow inmate was an "inspiration" to women in the prison
• The UN and the head of the Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, which won the peace prize last year, were also among those who paid tributes to Mohammadi
• But an Iranian news agency hit out at the committee's decision, claiming Mohammadi had been awarded for "her actions against Iran's national security"

Joshua Cheetham
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Despite their high acclaim, some of the past winners of the Nobel Peace Prize have raised eyebrows over the years.

Henry Kissinger, the US diplomat and national security adviser under presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford, was perhaps the most controversial recipient. He shared it in 1973 with North Vietnam's chief negotiator, Le Duc Tho, for agreeing a truce in the Vietnamese civil war the US was involved in.

Kissinger, who had a key role in the US's military strategy, had been heavily criticised for expanding US war efforts into neighbouring Laos and Cambodia.

There was also controversy over the winner of the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. The then-anti-apartheid campaigner Nelson Mandela shared the prize with the man who released him from jail and who he would succeed as South African President, Frederik Willem de Klerk. The committee said "they had agreed on a peaceful transition to majority rule".

In 2009, then-US President Barack Obama won the Peace Prize for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy".

Obama himself admitted his surprise and the award proved to be one of the committee’s most controversial - as the president had only been in office for 12 days before the nomination deadline.

Caroline Hawley
Diplomatic correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, who was held in Evin jail with Narges Mohammadi, has responded to the announcement of her award, telling the BBC: “I am so pleased for her. It makes me cry.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe was freed in March 2022, six years after being arrested on spying charges in Iran.

"She did so much for all of us in Evin. Narges is an inspiration and a pillar to the women in the female ward in Evin for her fearless fight against violation of women’s rights, use of solitary confinement and execution in the judicial system in Iran.

"This award belongs to every single Iranian woman who, one way or another, has been and remains a victim of injustice in Iran."

Narges Mohammadi has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for "her actions against Iran's national security", a semi-official Iranian news agency says.

The 51-year-old "received her prize from the Westerners", the Fars news agency reported.

It added that she "had made headlines multiple times due to her acts against the national security".

As we've mentioned, Mohammadi, who is vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran, founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, is currently serving a 10-year prison sentence for "spreading propaganda".

Image source, Reuters

Narges Mohammadi may be serving a 10-year prison in Tehran's notorious Evin prison - but that's not stopped her from speaking about the abuse of women in her country.

Back in December, Mohammadi told the BBC, through letters, that women detained in anti-government protests were being sexually and physically abused.

Mohammadi was able to communicate with the outside world via activists and the families of detained women.

At the time, she said one well-known activist had her hands and legs tied to a hook above her head in the vehicle taking her to prison - and was then sexually assaulted by security officers.

Mohammadi said that even though reporting abuse may lead to intimidation of the families of women in detention, it was necessary to expose what's happening to try to put a stop to it.

"Not revealing these crimes would contribute to the continuation of application of this repressive methods against women," she said.

Iran's state broadcaster has denied reports of security forces using rape and sexual abuse against female protesters.

Read the report in full here.

Image source, AFP

While the Nobel Prize winners are being announced this week, the actual Nobel awards ceremony isn't held until 10 December in Stockholm. But one notable absence there will be Iran, who has been fiercely criticised by this year's peace prize winner.

The Nobel Foundation caused controversy when it announced earlier this year that Iran, along with Russia and Belarus, would be invited to the awards ceremony after being snubbed last year. Russia and Belarus were excluded for their involvement in the Ukraine war, while Iran was snubbed over its human rights record.

However, it reversed the much-criticised decision last month.

It acknowledged that the reaction had "overshadowed this message".

"We, therefore, choose to repeat last year's exception to regular practice - that is, to not invite the ambassadors of Russia, Belarus and Iran to the Nobel Prize award ceremony in Stockholm," the foundation said.

However, the Norwegian Nobel Institute said it would still invite the countries' ambassadors to its peace prize ceremony in Norway's capital Oslo, also on 10 December.

Mohammadi's win sends a signal of disapproval to Iranian authoritiespublished at 11:05 British Summer Time 6 October 2023

11:05 BST 6 October 2023

Caroline Hawley
Diplomatic correspondent

“Woman – Life – Freedom,” – the slogan of last year’s uprising in Iran - were the first words of the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo, Berit Reiss-Andersen, as she announced that the prize had been awarded to Narges Mohammadi.

She described it as recognition of the hundreds of thousands of Iranians who have demonstrated over the past year against the “theocratic regime’s policies of discrimination and oppression targeting women” - a movement headed, she said, by the new Nobel prize winner.

Millions of Iranians will be cheering this award, along with human rights activists around the world.

It sends a very strong signal of disapproval to the Iranian authorities.

One immediate question.

Will Mohammadi actually be able to pick up her prize? It seems highly unlikely, as she is currently serving a 10-year jail sentence in the notorious Evin prison in Tehran, Iran's capital.

The committee said she had fought oppression at “tremendous personal cost” – including 13 arrests, five convictions, and sentences amounting to more than three decades in prison.

The awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize for jailed Iranian human rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi is a "historic and profound moment for Iran's fight for freedom," her family has said.

But they added that they regretted Mohammadi - who is imprisoned in Tehran - could not share the "extraordinary moment".

Posting on her official Instagram page, which they maintain while she is behind bars, Mohammadi's family said that the honour of the peace prize belongs to all Iranians, "especially the courageous women and girls of Iran who have captivated the world with their bravery in fighting for freedom and equality".

Image source, Getty Images

Reaction is now starting to come in for Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi.

The United Nations says the win is a tribute to the courage of Iranian women in the face of intimidation, harassment, violence and detentions.

"They've been harassed for what they do or don't wear," said spokeswoman Elizabeth Throssell.

"There are increasingly stringent legal, social and economic measures against them. This really is something that highlights the courage and determination of the women of Iran and how they are an inspiration to the world."

Oleksandra Matviichuk, head of Ukraine's Center for Civil Liberties, which won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, welcomed Mohammadi's win, adding: "We live in a very interconnected world. Right now, people in Iran are fighting for freedom. Our future depends on their success," she wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

And exiled Belarus opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya congratulated Mohammadi on her award, saying: "The imprisoned human rights activist is an inspiration to all, as she has refused to be silenced even behind bars. Like last year's laureate, Belarusian Ales Bialiatski, she must be set free."

In announcing the award a short time ago, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it hoped Iran would release Narges Mohammadi from jail so she can attend the prize ceremony in December.

The Nobel committee mentions Mahsa Amini, whose death in Iranian custody last year triggered, as we just mentioned, a year of anti-government protests in the country.

The motto of the protests - "woman, life, freedom" - suitably expresses the dedicated work of Narges Mohammadi, said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

"She fights for women against systemic discrimination and oppression," she said, adding Mohammadi supports women's struggles to live "full and dignified lives".

Image source, Reuters

The Nobel committee's decision to award its peace prize to Narges Mohammadi comes after more than a year of protests in the country spearheaded by women.

They were sparked in September 2022 after Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old, died in the custody of Iran's notorious morality police.

The unrest rapidly spread across the country, with demands ranging from more freedoms to an overthrow of the state.

Images of Iranian women defiantly setting their headscarves on fire and chanting "women, life, freedom" captivated the world.

The authorities have brutally cracked down on the protests and they have largely subsided.

In awarding her the prize, the Nobel committee said Mohammadi's "brave struggle has come with tremendous personal cost".

"Altogether, the regime has arrested her 13 times, convicted her five times and sentenced her to a total of 31 years in prison," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, the head of the Norwegian Nobel Committee in Oslo.

Narges Mohammadi is "still in prison as I speak", she adds.

Image source, Getty Images

Narges Mohammadi is an Iranian campaigner and deputy head of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, which was founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.

The 51-year-old has received several jail sentences since 2011 and is currently being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison for "spreading propaganda".

This year she was also included in the BBC's 100 Women - a high profile list of 100 inspiring and influential women from around the world.

The Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Iranian women's rights campaigner Narges Mohammadi.

The committee says she received the prize for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her efforts for promoting human rights and freedom for all.

The winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize is to be announced in the next few minutes.

Stay with us for that announcement, which is due to be made at 10:00 BST.

You can also watch live by clicking the play button above.

Caroline Hawley
Diplomatic correspondent

The winner is always a tightly-guarded secret until the announcement.

But the Nobel Committee will be choosing between 351 nominees this year.

According to the will of Alfred Nobel, the Swedish inventor of dynamite, the prize should be awarded to the person "who has done the most or best to advance fellowship among nations, the abolition or reduction of standing armies, and the establishment and promotion of peace congresses".

In recent years, there’s been a fairly broad interpretion of his intention.

Not long to go now before we know who has won this prestigious award – which comes with prize money of 11 million Swedish crowns ($994,000) and instant international attention.

South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who won in 1984, said in his biography: "One day no one was listening. The next, I was an oracle.”

Image source, Getty Images

This year's winner is due to receive prize money of 11 million Swedish Kroner, equivalent to nearly a million US dollars. That's a 10% jump from last year's amount.

Recipients will also be given a diploma and one of the Nobel Committee's iconic 18-carat gold medals.

The front of the medal shows a side profile of founder Alfred Nobel.

On the back, three men are pictured "forming a fraternal bond" with the inscription "Pro pace et fraternitate gentium," a Latin phrase meaning "for the peace and brotherhood of men".

Image source, Reuters

It's not just the award for peace that is presented by the Nobel committee - there are six categories, and they are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards for intellectual achievement in the world.

The winners are being confirmed this week and several have already been announced.

The physics prize was given to Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz and Anne L'Huillier. The research demonstrated a way to create extremely short pulses of light that can be used to capture and study rapid processes inside atoms.

Norwegian author, playwright and poet Jon Fosse claimed the prize for literature. The Nobel committee said Fosse's work focused on "anxieties, insecurities, questions of life and death".

The prize in physiology or Medicine was awarded to Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman, who developed the technology that led to the mRNA Covid vaccines, such as those produced by Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

And lastly, the prize for chemistry was awarded to three scientists for their work in developing what are called quantum dots. These tiny crystals can be found in QLED TV sets where the nanoparticles create colour.