Iranian authorities have sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to more than seven additional years in prison, amid ongoing crackdowns on dissent following widespread protests and human rights abuses.
The 53-year-old human rights activist, already serving time since her rearrest in 2021, faced new charges stemming from her participation in a December 2025 memorial event, where she demanded justice for victims of state violence.
Mohammadi was arrested on December 12, 2025, during a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old lawyer who died under mysterious circumstances on December 6, 2025—officially attributed to a heart attack by Iranian officials. Footage from the event showed her chanting for accountability, highlighting cases of alleged extrajudicial killings. In response to her detention and deteriorating health, Mohammadi began a hunger strike on February 2, 2026, which she ended on February 8 after receiving the new sentence, citing severe health concerns.
Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, announced the verdict on X, confirming it was issued by a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad on February 7, 2026. The court imposed six years for “gathering and collusion against national security,” one and a half years for “propaganda against the state,” a two-year travel ban, and two years of internal exile to Khosf, a remote city 740 kilometers southeast of Tehran. These courts are notorious for swift verdicts with limited defense opportunities. Nili noted the ruling is appealable and expressed hope for temporary bail due to Mohammadi’s medical needs.
This latest sentencing adds to Mohammadi’s long history of incarceration for advocating human rights and women’s freedoms in Iran.
About Narges Mohammadi
Born on April 21, 1972, in Zanjan, she holds a physics degree and has worked as an engineer, journalist, and activist. As vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), founded by fellow Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi, Mohammadi has campaigned against capital punishment, mandatory hijab laws, and state oppression. She was first imprisoned in 1998, with subsequent arrests in 2010, 2012, 2015, and 2021, accumulating sentences including a 16-year term in 2016 for founding the anti-death penalty group LEGAM. Released briefly in 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic, she was rearrested soon after.
While imprisoned, Mohammadi has documented abuses, including solitary confinement and mistreatment of female detainees during the 2022 Mahsa Amini protests. In November 2024, she underwent surgery to remove part of a bone in her right leg due to cancer concerns but was promptly returned to prison, heightening risks to her life. Her December 2025 rearrest involved reported physical assault, leading to hospitalizations.
In October 2023, Mohammadi received the Nobel Peace Prize for her “fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all,” becoming the second Iranian woman honored after Ebadi. Iran’s Foreign Ministry condemned the award. She has also earned accolades like the Per Anger Prize (2011), Andrei Sakharov Prize (2018), and UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize (2023).
Mohammadi’s case underscores Iran’s intensifying repression, with thousands killed in protests since 2022. International bodies, including the Nobel Committee, have called for her release and disclosure of her whereabouts. Her foundation described the trial as a “sham,” urging global action to protect her health and rights.
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