Iran Jails Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi for Six More Years

Iranian authorities have handed a fresh prison term to human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, intensifying international concern over her treatment in detention.

Mohammadi, 53, was arrested on December 12 in the northeastern city of Mashhad alongside other activists after she criticised the government during a funeral ceremony for a lawyer. She has since been sentenced to an additional six years in prison on charges related to harming national security, as well as a separate one and a half year term for propaganda against the Islamic system.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed deep alarm over reports surrounding her arrest and detention.

According to the committee, credible accounts indicate that Mohammadi was subjected to severe physical abuse and is currently facing life threatening conditions while in custody. The body called for her immediate release and for authorities to grant her access to proper medical care.

The committee cited eyewitness accounts and information from her family alleging that security agents repeatedly beat her with wooden sticks and batons and dragged her by the hair before subjecting her to further assaults. It added that after being placed in solitary confinement, she was transferred between facilities and at one point taken under guard to a hospital where extensive injuries were reportedly documented.

Despite the reported severity of her injuries, the committee stated that Mohammadi has been denied adequate and sustained medical attention and continues to face intense interrogation and intimidation. It described the treatment as cruel, inhuman and degrading, and a clear violation of international human rights standards.

Over the past 25 years, Mohammadi has faced multiple arrests and prison terms due to her outspoken campaigns against Iran’s use of the death penalty and its mandatory dress code for women.