Nobel Laureate Discusses Human Rights Struggles

I was subjected to a very difficult arrest last December and was assaulted by

security forces. The blows I received to my head caused

many

problems.

In one of her first interviews since her temporary release from prison, Nobel Peace

Laureate Narges Mohammadi spoke to CNN from her home in Tehran,

where she says she's recovering and still under medical care.

Mohammadi's health severely deteriorated after her re-arrest at this

event in December. After warnings from her family

and the Nobel committee

that she was in critical condition, Mohammadi was released for medical

treatment

in May. She spoke with us about her memoir that's

releasing this

week. How do you even write a book

in Iranian jails and get that writing out?

Well, getting the writings out was very difficult.

I was very fortunate that many of my fellow prisoners,

whose names

unfortunately I still cannot mention because the Islamic Republic is still

in power and some of them are still in prison

or being pursued by the

authorities, these courageous prisoners helped me get a

large part of the

book out of prison.

So did you smuggle your writings out of prison?

It was smuggled out. It was extraordinary.

I couldn't have done it on my own.

Mohammadi, a fearless defender of human rights,

has spent much of the past

two decades behind bars, and for her activism, sentenced to a

total of 44 years in prison and 154

lashes, accused of actions against national

security

and propaganda against the state.

Speaking with CNN could put her at risk of retribution, but

Mohammadi is not worried. She says this is her duty.

Every time you speak out, you get punished.

Your prison sentence gets longer and longer.

You are risking this again with the book.

Why did you feel that that risk is

worth taking?

Every moment of my life has involved confronting the system, a system

that was systematically violating human rights.

This book, too, is part of the course of my life and

is written from this

perspective. I may have taken risks and there may be consequences,

but this is what life is like for us here in this region

and in this country.