Iranian security forces have reportedly detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in a manner described as “violent.” The arrest is said to have taken place at a commemorative event for a human rights lawyer, according to her foundation.
Details of the Arrest
Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison on health reasons in December 2024, was detained along with a number of fellow advocates at the ceremony for Khosro Alikordi. Alikordi was found dead in his office last week. Her Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, confirmed the arrest occurred in the city in the east of Mashhad. A fellow prominent activist, Sepideh Gholian, was also taken into custody at the same event.
There has been no immediate comment from Iranian authorities regarding the arrest of the 53-year-old Mohammadi. Supporters had warned for months that she was at danger of being returned to prison. It is not yet known if she will be immediately returned to serve the remainder of her sentence.
Background to the Memorial Ceremony
The ceremony was for Khosro Alikordi, who was discovered deceased recently. Authorities from Razavi Khorasan province described his death as a heart attack. However, his death coincided with a tightening security crackdown, which has raised questions. More than eighty lawyers have issued a demand calling for greater transparency.
“Alikordi was a prominent figure among Iran’s community of human rights defenders,” said a international human rights organization. “Over the past several years, he had been detained multiple times, subjected to intimidation by security and judicial forces|state authorities.”
The Activist's Recent Actions and Health Struggles
Video apparently from the ceremony showed Mohammadi at a microphone, speaking to the assembly without a hijab or headscarf. She reportedly led chants of the name Majidreza Rahnavard, a man publicly hanged by authorities in 2022.
Prior to her medical leave, Mohammadi had been incarcerated from November 2021 on convictions stemming from her advocacy against capital punishment and Iran’s mandatory hijab law.
Her advocates report she suffered several cardiac episodes while imprisoned and underwent emergency surgery in 2022. In late 2024, her lawyer revealed doctors had discovered a suspicious bone growth feared to be malignant, which was later removed.
A History of Imprisonment and Advocacy
Mohammadi’s sentence was supposed to be three-week suspension, but her time out of prison lengthened, possibly due to pressure from activists and western powers. She stayed free even during the brief conflict between Iran and Israel in June.
She maintained her advocacy through public protests and international media appearances, including a demonstration in front of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where she had been previously held.
An trained engineer, Mohammadi has been jailed on thirteen occasions and found guilty in five cases. In total, she has been given over 30 years in prison.
