BRUSSELS – International human rights organizations condemned Iran’s reported re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi on Saturday, as the Nobel committee urged Tehran to disclose her location and ensure her safety amid escalating crackdowns on dissent.
Mohammadi, 53, was detained on Dec 12 at a memorial for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in Mashhad, according to her French lawyer Chirine Ardakani via X. Alikordi died suspiciously in his office on Dec 5, officially a heart attack, though activists demand a probe. A viral video shows Mohammadi unveiled, atop a car with a microphone, leading chants of “Long Live Iran” before crowds.
Iranian authorities have not confirmed the arrest. Mashhad governor Hasan Hosseini told state TV that prosecutors ordered temporary detentions of several attendees for “norm-breaking” slogans, including reported cries of “death to the dictator” a jab at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation.”The Norwegian Nobel Committee demanded Mohammadi’s immediate release without conditions. Reporters Without Borders noted four journalists were also nabbed at the event. Ardakani alleged Mohammadi was beaten; her whereabouts remain unknown.
The 2023 laureate, imprisoned over a decade on charges like “propaganda against the state,” had been on health-related furlough since December 2024. Her case spotlights Iran’s ongoing suppression of activists.