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Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her supporters said connected Friday (December 12, 2025).
A instauration successful her sanction said she was detained successful Mashhad, immoderate 680 kilometers (420 miles) northeast of the capital, Tehran, portion attending a memorial for a quality rights lawyer precocious recovered dormant nether unclear circumstances.
There was nary contiguous remark from Iran implicit its detention of Mohammadi, 53. It wasn't wide if authorities would instantly instrumentality her to situation to service the remainder of her term.
However, her detention comes arsenic Iran has been cracking down connected intellectuals and others arsenic Tehran struggles with sanctions, an ailing system and the fearfulness of a renewed warfare with Israel. Arresting Ms. Mohammadi whitethorn spark accrued unit from the West astatine a clip erstwhile Iran repeatedly signals it wants caller negotiations with the United States implicit its atomic programme — thing that has yet to happen.
Her supporters connected Friday described her arsenic having been “violently detained earlier contiguous by information and constabulary forces.” They said different activists had been arrested arsenic good astatine a ceremonial honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and quality rights advocator who had been based successful Mashhad.
“The Narges Foundation calls for the contiguous and unconditional merchandise of each detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremonial to wage their respects and show solidarity,” a connection read. “Their apprehension constitutes a superior usurpation of cardinal freedoms.”
Alikordi was recovered dormant earlier this period successful his office, with officials successful Razavi Khorasan describing his decease arsenic a bosom attack. However, a tightening information crackdown coincided with his death, raising questions. Over 80 lawyers signed a connection demanding much information.
“Alikordi was a salient fig among Iran’s assemblage of quality rights defenders,” the New York-based Center for Human Rights successful Iran said connected Thursday (December 11, 2025). “Over the past respective years, helium had been repeatedly arrested, harassed and threatened by information and judicial forces.”
Footage purportedly of the ceremonial showed Ms. Mohammadi connected a microphone, calling retired to the assemblage gathered without wearing a hijab, oregon headscarf. She started the assemblage chanting the sanction Majidreza Rahnavard, a antheral whom authorities hanged from a crane successful a nationalist execution successful 2022.
Footage published by her instauration besides showed her without a hijab, surrounded by a ample crowd.
Supporters had warned for months that Ms. Mohammadi was astatine hazard of being enactment backmost into situation aft she received a furlough successful December 2024 implicit aesculapian concerns.
While that was to beryllium lone 3 weeks, Ms. Mohammadi’s clip retired of situation lengthened, perchance arsenic activists and Western powers pushed Iran to support her free. She remained retired adjacent during the 12-day warfare successful June betwixt Iran and Israel.
Ms. Mohammadi inactive kept up her activism with nationalist protests and planetary media appearances, including adjacent demonstrating astatine 1 constituent successful beforehand of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, wherever she had been held.
Ms. Mohammadi had been serving 13 years and 9 months connected charges of collusion against authorities information and propaganda against Iran’s government. She besides had backed the nationwide protests sparked by the 2022 decease of Mahsa Amini, which person seen women openly defy the authorities by not wearing the hijab.
Ms. Mohammadi suffered aggregate bosom attacks portion imprisoned earlier undergoing exigency country successful 2022, her supporters say. Her lawyer successful precocious 2024 revealed doctors had recovered a bony lesion that they feared could beryllium cancerous that aboriginal was removed.
“Ms. Mohammadi’s doctors precocious prescribed an hold of her aesculapian permission for astatine slightest six much months to behaviour thorough and regular aesculapian examinations, including monitoring the bony lesion which was removed from her limb successful November, physiotherapy sessions to retrieve from the country and specialized cardiac care,” the Free Narges Coalition said successful precocious February 2025.
“The aesculapian squad overseeing Ms. Mohammadi’s wellness has warned that her instrumentality to situation — particularly nether stressful conditions of detention and without capable aesculapian facilities — could severely worsen her carnal well-being.”
An technologist by training, Ms. Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five. In total, she has been sentenced to implicit 30 years successful prison. Her past incarceration began erstwhile she was detained successful 2021 aft attending a memorial for a idiosyncratic killed successful nationwide protests.
