🔗 Share this article Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi Allegedly Detained in Iran, According to Supporters Authorities in Iran have allegedly detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in a manner described as “violent.” The arrest is said to have taken place at a memorial ceremony for a lawyer and human rights advocate, her supporters state. Details of the Detention Mohammadi, who was granted temporary leave from prison on medical grounds in December 2024, was arrested alongside a number of fellow advocates at the ceremony for Khosro Alikordi. Alikordi was found dead in his office last week. Her Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, stated the arrest occurred in the eastern city of Mashhad. Another prominent activist, Sepideh Gholian, was also reportedly detained at the same event. There has been no immediate comment from Iranian authorities regarding the detention of the 53-year-old Mohammadi. Supporters had warned for months that she was at danger of being sent back to jail. It is not yet known if she will be sent back to complete the rest of her sentence. Context of the Memorial Event The ceremony was for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead earlier this month. Authorities from Razavi Khorasan province stated the cause as a heart attack. However, his death coincided with a tightening security crackdown, which has led to speculation. More than eighty lawyers have signed a statement calling for greater transparency. “Alikordi was a leading voice among Iran’s community of human rights defenders,” said a international human rights organization. “Over the past several years, he had been detained multiple times, harassed and threatened by security and judicial forces|state authorities.” Mohammadi's Recent Actions and Medical Struggles Footage purportedly from the ceremony showed Mohammadi at a microphone, addressing the assembly without a hijab or headscarf. She is said to have started chants of the name Majidreza Rahnavard, a man executed publicly by authorities in 2022. Prior to her medical leave, Mohammadi had been imprisoned since November 2021 on convictions stemming from her advocacy against capital punishment and Iran’s mandatory hijab law. Her supporters state she suffered several cardiac episodes while imprisoned and underwent an urgent operation in 2022. In late 2024, her lawyer revealed doctors had discovered a bone lesion feared to be malignant, which was subsequently excised. A History of Activism and Incarceration Mohammadi’s sentence was supposed to be three-week suspension, but her time out of prison lengthened, possibly due to calls by activists and international voices. She stayed free even during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June. She maintained her advocacy through public demonstrations and international media appearances, including a demonstration in front of Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where she had been formerly incarcerated. An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and found guilty in five cases. In total, she has been given over 30 years in prison.