Iran court orders additional prison term, exile for Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi
The latest ruling, issued by a court in the northeastern city of Mashhad, includes six years for “gathering and collusion” and one-and-a-half years for “propaganda activities.
Iranian authorities have sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison, according to information provided by her family and supporters.
The latest ruling, issued by a court in the northeastern city of Mashhad, includes six years for "gathering and collusion" and one-and-a-half years for "propaganda activities." The court also imposed a two-year travel ban and ordered Mohammadi into two years of internal exile in the eastern Khusf region.
Mohammadi, 53, was arrested in December after attending a memorial ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, where authorities said she made "provocative remarks." Witnesses said she was beaten with clubs and batons by around 15 plainclothes agents during her arrest.
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She has already spent more than a decade in prison. With the latest ruling, her total ordered prison time now amounts to 44 years. Since 2021, she has been serving a separate 13-year sentence on charges including propaganda and collusion against state security.
Mohammadi refused to defend herself during the latest proceedings, remaining silent throughout the hearing and declining to sign court documents, according to her family. They described the trial as a "sham" and a "charade," saying she does not recognise the legitimacy of the judiciary.
On February 2, Mohammadi began a hunger strike, her supporters said. Her health later deteriorated and she was transferred to hospital for three days before being returned to detention.
Mohammadi is widely known for her advocacy against restrictions on women in Iran. She was also a signatory to a petition accusing Iran's Supreme Leader of "crimes against humanity" over the killing of protesters and calling for an end to the Islamic Republic.
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, described the sentence as "cruel and very unfair," and called on human rights organisations to protest the ruling and demand the release of political prisoners in Iran.
