Rights groups condemn reported re-arrest of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran

BRUSSELS - International human rights groups on Dec 13 condemned the reported re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran, with the Nobel committee calling on the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her whereabouts.

Ms Mohammadi’s French lawyer Chirine Ardakani said on X that the human rights activist was arrested
on Dec 12 after denouncing the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi at his memorial ceremony in the north-eastern city of Mashhad.

Iranian authorities have not yet confirmed her arrest.

Mashhad’s city governor Hasan Hosseini told Iranian state television on Dec 12 that prosecutors had ordered the temporary detention of several participants at Alikordi’s ceremony, but did not name Ms Mohammadi.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee called on Iranian authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions”.

A video purportedly showing Ms Mohammadi, 53, without the mandatory veil, standing on a car with a microphone and chanting “Long Live Iran” in front of a crowd, has gone viral on social media.

Ms Ardakani said Ms Mohammadi was beaten before her arrest, and social media reports say her whereabouts are unknown.

Reporters Without Borders said four journalists and other participants were also arrested at the memorial for human rights lawyer Alikordi, who was found dead in his office on Dec 5.

Authorities gave the cause of his death as a heart attack, but rights groups have called for an investigation into his death.

Mr Hosseini said in the interview with state TV that prosecutors had ordered detentions at his ceremony after what authorities have described as “norm-breaking” slogans.

The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said the crowd also chanted “death to the dictator”, a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as well as: “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation”.

Ms Mohammadi, who received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, has spent more than 10 years of her life in prison, most recently from November 2021 when she was charged with “propaganda against the state”, “acting against national security”, and membership in “illegal organisations”.

She has been on furlough since December 2024 for health reasons. REUTERS