Deep changes in Iran have been brought about by anti-religious protests in the country, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, said Nobel Peace Prize-winning Iranian Narges Mohammadi.

“After these protests and the movement -Woman, Life, Freedom- we see very profound changes in society,” Mohammadi, 52, said in an interview with Spanish public television TVE from an undisclosed location in Iran.

The interview with Mohammadi, who speaks Farsi, was translated into Spanish.

The 22-year-old Iranian Kurdish-born Mahsha Amini died in custody on September 16, 2022, days after being arrested by vice police in Tehran for allegedly violating the strict dress code for women. Her death sparked protests across the country under the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom”, which caused dozens of casualties, including members of the security forces. Thousands of protesters were arrested.

Imprisoned for more than three years, Mohammadi was released in December for a short time for medical reasons. According to her legal team, she could be re-arrested and returned to prison at any time.

Winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her two-decade-long struggle for human rights in Iran, she strongly supported the protests sparked by Amini’s death.

“Life in prison is practically impossible. I spent part of my sentence in solitary confinement, in a very small room, with three walls and a door, nothing else,” Mohammadi told TVE, holding a photo of Amini next to her.

Asked if she felt her activism was worth it, given what she was asked to endure, she replied that if she were to go back in time “I would definitely do the same, even if I had to pay a heavier price.”