Iranian security forces have arrested 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi at a memorial ceremony for a lawyer and human rights advocate, her supporters said.
Mohammadi, who had been granted temporary medical leave from prison in December 2024, was detained alongside several activists at the ceremony for Khosro Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week, the Narges Foundation said on X.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who is based in Paris, wrote on X that Mohammadi was arrested in the eastern city of Mashhad together with Sepideh Gholian, another prominent activist. The foundation said Mohammadi’s brother, Mehdi, was present and confirmed the arrest.
There was no immediate comment from Iranian authorities. Supporters had warned for months that Mohammadi, 53, was at risk of being returned to prison, but it was not clear whether she would be taken back immediately to serve the remainder of her sentence.
Alikordi was found dead earlier this month; officials in Razavi Khorasan province described his death as a heart attack. His death coincided with a tightening security crackdown, prompting questions and a statement from more than 80 lawyers demanding further information.
The New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran said Alikordi was a prominent figure among the country’s human rights defenders and had been repeatedly arrested, harassed and threatened by security and judicial forces over recent years.
Footage said to be from the memorial showed Mohammadi addressing the crowd without a headscarf and leading chants of the name Majidreza Rahnavard, who was publicly executed by hanging from a crane in 2022.
Mohammadi had been imprisoned since November 2021 on convictions linked to her campaign against capital punishment and the compulsory hijab. Supporters say she suffered multiple heart attacks while in custody and underwent emergency surgery in 2022. In late 2024 her lawyer said doctors had removed a bone lesion that was feared to be cancerous.
Her sentence was initially suspended for three weeks, but her period out of prison was extended amid pressure from activists and Western governments. She remained free during the 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel in June and continued her activism, including protests and international media appearances.
An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times. Her combined sentences amount to more than 30 years in prison.
