Iran has detained Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, prompting international calls for her immediate release amid concerns over the country’s crackdown on dissent.
Iranian authorities have arrested Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and a leading advocate for human rights in the country, according to her family and the Narges Foundation. The Paris-based organization reported that Mohammadi was forcibly taken into custody on Friday while attending a memorial service in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city.
The memorial was held in honor of Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer and civil rights supporter who was recently found dead in his office. Mohammadi’s brother, Mehdi, confirmed the arrest, describing it as a violent detention executed by security and police forces.
This incident has drawn widespread international condemnation, with rights organizations warning that Iran is intensifying its crackdown on dissent.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee quickly denounced the detention, labeling it “brutal” and demanding Mohammadi’s immediate and unconditional release. In a statement, the committee called on Iranian authorities to clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety, and release her without delay. They expressed solidarity with her and others in Iran who advocate for human rights, freedom of expression, and the rule of law.
Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her decades-long struggle against oppression, particularly her advocacy for women’s rights and her opposition to Iran’s use of capital punishment.
Throughout the past two decades, Mohammadi has spent a significant portion of her life imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison, a facility notorious for housing political dissidents. According to her foundation, she has received multiple convictions totaling 36 years in prison on charges that include acting against national security and spreading propaganda against the state.
In December 2024, Iranian authorities temporarily suspended her sentence for three weeks to allow her to recover from surgery to remove part of a bone in her lower leg, where doctors had discovered a lesion suspected of being cancerous. Although she was expected to return to prison after her medical leave, she remained on furlough until her re-arrest this week.
Despite the ongoing pressure, Mohammadi continued to speak out publicly during her temporary release, drawing renewed attention to Iran’s human rights record.
Just days before her arrest, Mohammadi authored an essay for Time magazine, arguing that true peace is unattainable in Iran under pervasive state control. “Iranians live under constant surveillance, censorship, arbitrary detention, and the ever-present threat of violence,” she wrote, calling for global support for Iran’s civil society, independent journalism, women’s rights activists, and human rights defenders.
In a December 2024 interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Mohammadi remained resolute. “Whether I am inside Evin prison or outside, my objective is unchanged,” she stated. “Until democracy is achieved, we will not stop.”
During her years in prison, Mohammadi has repeatedly reported mistreatment and abuse of detained women, including prolonged solitary confinement and sexual violence. In letters and interviews, she has described assaults allegedly carried out by security forces, prison officials, and medical staff. Iranian authorities have consistently denied these allegations, dismissing them as false.
The Narges Foundation indicated that several other activists were also arrested during the memorial service in Mashhad, although details regarding these detentions remain limited. The foundation has called for the immediate release of all individuals detained while paying respects to the late lawyer.
Mohammadi is the mother of teenage twins, Kiana and Ali Rahmani, who accepted the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in Oslo. Her husband, Taghi Rahmani—himself a former political prisoner—has long described her as possessing “limitless energy” in the pursuit of freedom.
Speaking previously to CNN, her son Ali expressed pride in his mother despite the personal sacrifices involved. “I have accepted this life,” he said. “Any suffering I endure does not matter.”
As the international community rallies for her release, the situation underscores the ongoing struggle for human rights and freedom of expression in Iran, a fight that Mohammadi has championed for years.
According to The Guardian, the global outcry surrounding Mohammadi’s detention reflects a growing concern over Iran’s treatment of dissenters and the state of human rights in the country.