The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi’s husband is coming to World Expression Forum in Lillehammer in May with their children Kiana and Ali Rahmani.
Taghi Rahmani is an Iranian journalist, political activist, academic, author, and freedom of expression advocate. He is one of the keynote speakers at the annual World Expression Forum, which will be held in Lillehammer on May 27-28. The main theme of the conference is “The Global Free Speech Recession – and How to Fight It?”, which will also be the topic of the contribution by the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s husband.
«Gateway to democracy»
“Freedom of expression is the gateway to democracy. I personally have been imprisoned for 14 years and in exile for 12 years due to this gateway. My wife, Narges Mohammadi, has been in prison for years due to her civil activities. However, our fate is not unique; it is the shared fate of every Iranian who believes in freedom of expression,” Taghi Rahmani writes in a comment to World Expression Forum.
“Freedom of expression requires empowering civil society. The solution is not war and sanctions against the people but strengthening the people and civil society,” Rahmani continues.
Nobel Peace Prize winner still in prison
Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all. She has spent much of the last decade in prison in Iran for her work and is currently imprisoned in Evin Prison in Tehran, which is known for brutality and torture.
“A highlight of the conference”
Managing Director of World Expression Forum Kristenn Einarsson is pleased with the participation of the Nobel Peace Prize winner’s family:
“The Rahmani family are some of the most important advocates for freedom of expression in the world today. Taghi Rahmani’s speech will be one of the highlights at the World Expression Forum. We are proud to once again receive contributions from Nobel Peace Prize winners at the conference, as we did last year and in 2022, when the World Expression Forum held its first conference.”
The children to join WEXFO Youth
The children Kiana and Ali, who received the Nobel Peace Prize on their mother’s behalf in Oslo in December, will participate in World Expression Forum’s youth events that run parallel to the main conference.
About World Expression Forum
World Expression Forum (WEXFO) is a meeting place and driving force for global cooperation to ensure freedom of expression for future generations. WEXFO organizes an annual global conference on freedom of expression that takes place in Lillehammer in May/June. The conference brings together experts, activists, journalists, and academics from around the world. In connection with the conference, WEXFO also organizes several youth events in Lillehammer and Utøya on freedom of expression.
Photo: Family archive
