Kurdish language teacher and former political prisoner Zara Mohammadi was awarded the first Jemal Nebez Prize for her efforts to teach and promote the Kurdish language at a ceremony in Berlin’s Schoneberg town hall on 3 December.
The event, attended by members of the Kurdish community in Germany and international supporters, was organised by the Jemal Nebez Foundation.
The foundation, which was established a year after the death of prominent Kurdish writer Jemal Nebez in 2019, chose Mohammadi, the director of the Nozhin Socio-Cultural Association, as the recipient of its first annual award for her outstanding contributions.
The ceremony highlighted Mohammadi’s voluntary and endless efforts to promote the Kurdish language and identity, despite facing persecution and punishment from the Islamic Republic of Iran.
During the ceremony, a video message from Mohammadi underlined her 15-year commitment to the recognition of language as “the most important issue in the Kurdish question”.
She pointed out that throughout history, the Kurdish movement has always emphasised language as a vital component of its identity, while oppressive regimes have used language as a tool of oppression.
Kani Mohammadi, Zara Mohammadi’s sister, accepted the award on her sister’s behalf from Khounav Hajou, a member of the Jemal Nebez Prize jury.
Zara Mohammadi, who was recognised as one of the “BBC 100 Women” in 2022, was arrested by Iranian security forces in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, on 23 May 2019.
She was subjected to six months of interrogation and pressure for her civil and cultural-literary activities.
On 21 January 2020, Branch One of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Sanandaj sentenced Mohammadi to 10 years’ imprisonment for “forming factions and groups with the aim of undermining national security”, which was later reduced to five years on appeal.
Mohammadi began serving her sentence in Sanandaj Prison on 8 January 2022 and was released on 10 February 2023.
In a video posted on her personal page after her release, she reaffirmed her determination not to seek amnesty and pledged to stay the course.
“I was released from prison by force, without any request for pardon or forgiveness, neither from myself nor from my lawyer. I declare that I will never seek amnesty and will remain steadfast in my path,” Mohammadi said.
