Iran arrests Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, say supporters

Iran has arrested Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her supporters said on Friday. A foundation in her name said she was detained in Mashhad, some 680 kilometers northeast of the capital, Tehran, while attending a memorial for a human rights lawyer recently found dead under unclear circumstances.

A local official reportedly acknowledged arrests had been made, but did not directly name Mohammadi, 53.

It wasn't clear if authorities would immediately return her to prison, where she had been serving a sentence until her temporary release in December 2024 for medical purposes.

However, her detention comes as Iran has been cracking down on intellectuals and others as Tehran struggles with sanctions, an ailing economy and the fear of a renewed war with Israel.

Arresting Mohammadi may spark increased pressure from the West at a time when Iran repeatedly signals it wants new negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme - something that has yet to happen.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was "deeply concerned” by Mohammadi's arrest.

The committee "calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions,” it said in a statement.

Her supporters on Friday described her as having been "violently detained earlier today by security and police forces.”

They said other activists had been arrested as well at a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate who had been based in Mashhad.

"The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity,” a statement read. "Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms.”

Alikordi was found dead earlier this month in his office, with provincial officials in describing his death as a heart attack. However, a tightening security crackdown coincided with his death, raising questions. Over 80 lawyers signed a statement demanding more information.

"What we witnessed today is the Islamic Republic’s latest assault on the most basic human freedoms - where even mourning a slain lawyer becomes a punishable act,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.

"When peaceful citizens cannot mourn without being beaten and dragged away, it reveals a government terrified of truth and accountability. It also reveals the extraordinary bravery of Iranians who refuse to surrender their dignity."

Footage purportedly of the ceremony showed Mohammadi with a microphone, calling out to the crowd gathered without wearing a hijab, or headscarf.

She started the crowd chanting the name Majidreza Rahnavard, a man whom authorities hanged from a crane in a public execution in 2022.

Footage published by her foundation also showed her without a hijab, surrounded by a large crowd.

Hasan Hosseini, the city governor of Mashhad, said prosecutors ordered security officials to temporarily detain a number of participants at the ceremony after the chanting of "norm-breaking” slogans, Iranian state television reported.

Hosseini described the detentions as preventive to protect those there from others in the crowd, but did not address claims that security forces used violence in making the arrests.

Associated Press