Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai has expressed her support for the women and girls of Iran amid ongoing nationwide protests.

The activist said that the demonstrations sparked initially by economic distress and the rapid devaluation of the Iranian rial “cannot be separated from the long-standing, state-imposed restrictions on girls’ and women’s autonomy, in all aspects of public life, including education.”

Malala stated: “Iranian girls demand a life with dignity”. 

Yousafzai highlighted the personal risks Iranians have taken to raise awareness about the repression, noting that “their voices have been silenced for decades.” She described the restrictions on women as part of a broader system of gendered control marked by “segregation, surveillance, and punishment.”

“The women of Iran demand their voices be heard and the right to determine their political future,” Yousafzai said. 

 

She emphasized that this future should be shaped by the leadership of Iranian women and girls rather than by outside forces or oppressive regimes.

She concluded her statement by saying, “I stand with the people and girls of Iran in their call for freedom and dignity. They deserve to determine their own future.”

Yousafzai has previously spoken out on Iran, most recently in December when she joined the Norwegian Nobel Committee in condemning the arrest of fellow laureate Narges Mohammadi.

 

She has also shared Amnesty International’s criticism of the UK for detaining Greta Thunberg during her protest against Israeli actions in Gaza.

 

In recent months, Yousafzai has increasingly focused on the Middle East. In September, her Malala Fund pledged $100,000 to assist Palestinian refugees, and the organisation has since committed another $300,000 to support girls’ education and provide emergency relief in Gaza, Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.