Nobel Peace Prize winner Nargis Mohammadi was arrested in Iran on Friday. The foundation formed in his name gave this information. Mohammadi had gone to the memorial meeting of a late human rights lawyer, during which she was arrested. Mohammadi was arrested in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, according to the foundation named after him. Now the Nobel Committee has cornered Iran and asked questions regarding the arrest of the activist.
A local official reportedly confirmed the arrests, but did not specifically identify the 53-year-old Mohammadi Did not take name. Earlier in the year 2024, in December itself, Mohammadi had come out of jail on medical grounds.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has issued an official statement. The committee has expressed concern about the arrest of Nargis Mohammadi. Regarding Nargis Mohammadi, the committee said, she is the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate – a strong supporter of human rights, freedom of expression and democratic participation in Iran.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee demands the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify the whereabouts of Mohammadi and ensure his safety. The committee also said that Nobel laureate Nargis Mohammadi should be released without any conditions.
Along with this, the committee further said, the committee expresses solidarity with Nargis Mohammadi and all those working peacefully for human rights, rule of law and freedom of expression in Iran. However, till now no official statement has come from the Iranian government regarding Nagaris Mohammadi.
Mohammadi's supporters say that during the memorial meeting, security forces and police forcefully arrested Mohammadi. The ceremony was organized in memory of 46-year-old lawyer and human rights activist Khosrow Alikordi. In the video shared by Mohammadi's supporters, Mohammadi was seen addressing the crowd without hijab and raising slogans.
Human rights activists condemned these arrests, saying that this is an attack on basic freedoms. He says that detaining people just for attending a memorial meeting exposes the fear of accountability within the government.
The governor of Mashhad said that prosecutors ordered the temporary detention of some participants because, according to them, inappropriate slogans were raised there.
Mohammadi was released on medical grounds in December last year. However, initially this release was given for three weeks. But, later it was extended repeatedly. Mohammadi has been a vocal supporter of the protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022. While in prison he suffered serious health problems, including a heart attack and surgery for a bone lesion that doctors suspected was cancer.
Doctors have warned that sending him back to jail without adequate treatment could be seriously dangerous to his health. Till now Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times. Also, he has been sentenced to a total of more than 3 decades in prison. His most recent imprisonment began in 2021, when he took part in another commemoration event linked to the nationwide protests.
