Nobel Peace Prize winner Nargis Mohammadi was arrested in Iran on Friday. Mohammadi had gone to the memorial service of a late human rights lawyer. During this time, Iranian security forces violently arrested him. Mohammadi, 53, was on temporary release on medical grounds through 2024 and was not expected to be sent to jail again.
Mohammadi has been in jail for 36 years. The Paris-based foundation said Mohammadi was violently arrested by security and police forces during a memorial service for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was recently found dead in his office. The foundation cited confirmed reports and his brother Mehdi.
Mohammadi was arrested in Mashhad, Iran's second largest city. Mohammadi received the Nobel Peace Prize in the year 2023. His foundation said he was arrested during a ceremony organized in honor of Khosrow Alikordi in Mashhad. In a video shared by her supporters, Mohammadi was seen addressing the crowd without hijab and raising slogans.
Mohammadi's foundation has given information about when and under what circumstances Mohammadi was arrested. But, no statement has come forward regarding why he was arrested.
Mohammadi was on temporary release on medical grounds for three weeks from December 2024, which extended to several months. Doctors had warned that sending him back to jail could be life-threatening given his history of heart attacks, major surgery and the removal of a bone lump late last year.
Despite weak health, Mohammadi remains active in the country. She continued to participate in demonstrations and even demonstrated outside Tehran's Evin prison, where she was previously held. He has spent 36 years in jail so far. He was convicted five times and sent to jail 13 times. His last imprisonment began in 2021, which was also the reason for his presence in a memorial meeting.
