Post by : Rameen Ariff

Iranian security forces have detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi along with at least eight other activists during a ceremony in Mashhad, in an arrest described as "brutal" by the Norwegian Nobel Committee. The arrests took place at a memorial event for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, whose body was discovered in his office last week under circumstances that rights groups have called suspicious and indicative of a possible state-linked murder.

Mohammadi, who had been granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024 on health grounds, was joined at the ceremony by prominent activist Sepideh Gholian, who had previously been jailed alongside her in Tehran’s Evin prison. According to Mohammadi’s foundation, those present were attending the event solely to pay respects and express solidarity. Her family and human rights groups have condemned the arrest as a serious violation of fundamental freedoms and basic human rights.

Hamid Mohammadi, Narges’s brother, described the arrest, saying she was physically assaulted—beaten on her legs, pulled by her hair, and dragged away. The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed deep concern over the "brutal arrest" and called on Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her location.

The arrest came just two days after the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Oslo, where Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, a critic of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, received the award. The Nobel Committee noted the timing, citing the close collaboration between the regimes in Iran and Venezuela.

Iranian officials, including Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini, stated that those arrested were chanting slogans considered contrary to public norms but did not release the names of the detainees. Footage shared by human rights groups shows Mohammadi participating in the memorial without wearing the headscarf mandated by Iranian law and leading chants such as “Long live Iran,” “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation,” and “Death to the dictator.”

The ceremony marked seven days since Alikordi’s death. Alikordi, 45, was known for representing clients in sensitive cases, including individuals arrested during nationwide protests in 2022. Rights organizations, including Norway-based Iran Human Rights and the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), have called for investigations into his death, citing serious concerns of foul play.

Narges Mohammadi, 53, has spent much of the past decade in prison, often enduring harsh conditions. Her twin children received the Nobel Peace Prize on her behalf in 2023, but she has been unable to see them for 11 years. Her temporary release in December 2024 was granted due to health issues, including lung and heart problems, which have required multiple surgeries.

Her brother expressed concern that the latest detention could further harm her health, given her history of serious medical complications. Despite repeated arrests and long periods behind bars, Mohammadi has remained vocal in her criticism of Iran’s clerical system, predicting its eventual downfall. In a message to her twins on their 19th birthday, she wrote that the authorities live in fear of the people’s inevitable uprising.

Mohammadi’s arrest has sparked international condemnation, highlighting ongoing concerns about human rights violations in Iran and the government’s treatment of activists, journalists, and dissenting voices.

#Global News