🔗 Share this article

Authorities in Iran have reportedly detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in a what supporters call “violent.” The arrest reportedly occurred at a memorial ceremony for a lawyer and human rights advocate, her supporters state.

Circumstances Surrounding the Arrest

Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison on health reasons in December 2024, was arrested alongside a number of fellow advocates at the gathering for Khosro Alikordi. Alikordi was discovered deceased in his office the previous week. Her Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, stated the arrest occurred in the city in the east of Mashhad. A fellow prominent activist, Sepideh Gholian, was also reportedly detained at the same event.

There has been no immediate comment from Iranian authorities regarding the detention of the 53-year-old Mohammadi. Advocates had cautioned for months that she was at danger of being sent back to jail. It is currently unclear if she will be sent back to complete the rest of her sentence.

Background to the Memorial Ceremony

The ceremony was for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead earlier this month. Officials in Razavi Khorasan province described his death as a heart attack. However, his death coincided with a tightening security crackdown, which has led to speculation. More than eighty lawyers have signed a statement calling for more information.

“Alikordi was a leading voice among Iran’s community of human rights defenders,” stated a New York-based human rights organization. “Over the past several years, he had been repeatedly arrested, subjected to intimidation by security and judicial forces|state authorities.”

The Activist's Activities and Health Struggles

Footage purportedly from the ceremony showed Mohammadi at a microphone, addressing the gathered crowd without a hijab or headscarf. She is said to have started 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 related to her campaigning against capital punishment and Iran’s compulsory hijab rules.

Her advocates report she suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned and underwent an urgent operation in 2022. In late 2024, her lawyer revealed doctors had identified a bone lesion feared to be malignant, which was subsequently excised.

A History of Activism and Incarceration

Mohammadi’s sentence was supposed to be three-week suspension, but her time out of prison was extended, possibly due to pressure from activists and international voices. She stayed free even during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.

She continued her activism through public protests and international media appearances, including a protest in front of Tehran’s infamous Evin prison, where she had been formerly incarcerated.

An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been jailed on thirteen occasions and found guilty in five cases. In total, she has been sentenced to over 30 years in prison.