2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate arrested “violently” in Iran. The activist was participating in a commemorative ceremony
Iranian women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has been detained again, with her foundation accusing an intervention “violence” of the security forces in the city of Mashhad.
Narges Mohammadi was arrested during a protest PHOTO: AFP
Iranian security forces have “arrested her with violence” on Narges Mohammadi, announced the foundation that bears his name, quoted by the BBC. The 53-year-old activist was reportedly picked up from Mashhad, along with several other activists, during a memorial ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights Organization called for an independent investigation, claiming that the circumstances of his death were “suspected“.
At the ceremony, several people would have chanted slogans such as “death to the dictator” and “long live Iran” according to reports from the field.
Taghi Rahmani, Mohammadi's husband, told BBC Persian: “They arrested Narges with violence. The lawyer's brother witnessed her arrest at the commemoration. This act violates human rights laws and constitutes a form of retaliation. This happened today in Mashhad and it is worrying because the crackdown by the authorities has intensified recently.”
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The reaction of the Nobel Committee
The Nobel Committee declared “deeply worried of the brutal arrest of Narges Mohammadi” and requested the Iranian authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi's whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity and release her unconditionally”. So far, Iran has not commented on the situation.
The committee also warned of the intensification of pressure on the activist: “The threats to Mohammadi make it clear that her safety is at risk unless she undertakes to renounce all public activities in Iran, as well as any international advocacy work or media appearances in support of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression“.
A history of repression and resistance
Narges Mohammadi, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her activism against the oppression of women in Iran and for promoting human rights, has spent the last few years repeatedly in detention. In December 2024, she had been temporarily released for three weeks on medical grounds after being imprisoned in Tehran's Evin prison since 2021. She was expected to return to prison shortly, where she is serving more sentences.
In recent months, Mohammadi has accused Iranian authorities of having “intensified repression” after the June ceasefire with Israel. In an article published last week in Time magazine, she wrote that the Iranian state controls “all aspects of personal or public life”adding: “Their peace is disturbed by surveillance, censorship, arbitrary arrests, torture and the constant threat of violence.”
Over the years, Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times and sentenced to more than 36 years in prison and 154 lashes, according to her foundation. However, she continued to challenge the regime, refusing, among other things, to wear the compulsory veil and meeting with activists across the country.
