Nobel Peace Prize laureate: Iranian women must lead fight for their own future

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Malala Yousafzai has voiced strong support for the people of Iran, saying the ongoing protests in the country are rooted in long-standing state-imposed restrictions on the lives of women and girls.

In a statement on X, Yousafzai said the demonstrations cannot be separated from decades of repression that have limited girls’ and women’s autonomy in all areas of public life, including education. She said Iranian girls, like girls everywhere, are demanding a life with dignity, Caliber.Az reports. 

The protests in Iran cannot be separated from the long-standing, state-imposed restrictions on girls’ and women’s autonomy, in all aspects of public life including education. Iranian girls, like girls everywhere, demand a life with dignity.

The people of Iran have long warned…

— Malala Yousafzai (@Malala) January 12, 2026

Yousafzai noted that the Iranian people have long warned about this repression, often at great personal risk, but their voices have been silenced for decades. She said these restrictions are part of a broader system of gender-based control marked by segregation, surveillance, and punishment, which limits freedom, choice, and safety far beyond the classroom.

"They demand their voices be heard and the right to determine their political future. That future must be driven by the Iranian people, and include the leadership of Iranian women and girls — not external forces or oppressive regimes," she wrote. 

“I stand with the people and girls of Iran in their call for freedom and dignity,” Yousafzai said, adding that they deserve to determine their own future.

Human rights groups report that at least 648 people, including nine children, have been killed since  nationwide protests kicked off over two weeks in Iran. The organisation Iran Human Rights has warned that the real number of deaths and detentions is likely to be significantly higher, noting that widespread internet and communications restrictions have made independent verification difficult.

By Sabina Mammadli