Iranian security forces have violently arrested Nobel Peace Prize winner and women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, her foundation has said.
The Narges Foundation stated that her brother confirmed Ms. Mohammadi was detained in the eastern city of Mashhad, along with other activists. The foundation has called for the immediate release of the 53-year-old and her fellow detainees, though Iran has yet to comment on the situation.
Ms. Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her relentless activism against female oppression in Iran and her promotion of human rights.
In December 2024, she was granted a temporary release from jail for medical reasons after being held in Tehran's notorious Evin prison since 2021. Her latest arrest came while she attended a memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer who was found dead in his office under suspicious circumstances.
Taghi Rahmani, Ms. Mohammadi's husband, provided insight into her arrest, stating, They arrested Narges violently. The brother of the lawyer witnessed her arrest at the memorial. This act is against human rights laws, and amounts to some kind of revenge. He also expressed concern over the establishment's intensified crackdown on dissent.
Ms. Mohammadi recently accused Iranian authorities of escalating repression following a ceasefire with Israel in June and has been outspoken about the pervasive control of the state over personal freedoms and public life. Throughout her lifetime, Ms. Mohammadi has faced significant resistance, having been arrested 13 times and sentenced to a total of 36 years in prison along with 154 lashes for her activism.
