Navanethem (Navi) Pillay
Mohammadi, who was imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison when the award was announced in October 2023, had spent more than two decades campaigning for women’s rights. She joined the Defenders of Human Rights Center in 2003 and later campaigned against the death penalty, while criticising the Iranian authorities’ use of torture and sexual violence.
The Nobel Committee said her work underscores the importance of international law in resolving conflicts peacefully, holding powerful states and individuals accountable, and protecting victims. The award also serves as a warning against the weakening of international legal institutions and the growing influence of power politics over the rule of law.
Machado was elected to Venezuela’s National Assembly in 2010 but was removed from office in 2014. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, she won the opposition primary but was barred from contesting. She was living in hiding when she won the award, and her daughter, Ana Corina Sosa, accepted the medal and diploma on her behalf at the December 2025 ceremony in Oslo. In January 2026, Machado presented her Nobel Peace Prize medal to US President Donald Trump during a meeting at the White House, saying the gesture recognised his commitment to Venezuela’s freedom. From prison, Mohammadi supported the protests that erupted across Iran in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Jina Amini, a young Kurdish woman who died after being detained by Iran’s morality police over her head covering. The authorities cracked down on the demonstrations, with more than 500 people killed, thousands injured and at least 20,000 arrested, according to the Nobel Committee.
She backed Edmundo González Urrutia, whose supporters published voting records they said showed he had defeated President Nicolás Maduro. Trump accepted the medal and called it a “wonderful gesture of mutual respect”. Mohammadi said the award would strengthen her resolve, vowing to continue striving for “democracy, freedom and equality”.
Maduro’s government claimed victory and intensified its crackdown on opponents. The Nobel Committee recognised Machado’s efforts to unite Venezuela’s divided opposition around free elections and representative government. However, the Nobel Institute clarified that the prize itself cannot be transferred to another person.