Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to more than seven additional years in prison, just weeks after ending a hunger strike to protest her detention conditions. The sentencing comes as Tehran continues a crackdown on dissent.
Mohammadi, 53, was given a six-year sentence for “gathering and collusion to commit crimes” and an additional one-and-a-half years for “propaganda activities,” according to her lawyer, Mostafa Nili. She will also be subject to a two-year ban on leaving the country and two years of internal exile to the city of Khosf in the eastern province of South Khorasan, Nili stated.
The ruling was handed down on Saturday, though Mohammadi was informed of the sentence on Sunday during a brief phone call with her lawyer. The call was abruptly disconnected as she began to describe the circumstances of her arrest and detention, Nili reported.
Mohammadi was arrested in December following a memorial ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, and authorities accused her of making “provocative remarks.” Her family reported she was beaten during the arrest and subsequently taken to hospital due to her physical condition.
The Narges Foundation, which supports Mohammadi’s work, described the hearing as a “sham” and noted that she had begun a hunger strike on February 2nd to protest her imprisonment and restrictions on communication with legal counsel and family. She ended the hunger strike on Sunday, after six days, but reports indicate her physical condition remains deeply concerning.
Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her activism against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight against the death penalty. Her children, Kiana and Ali Rahmani, accepted the award on her behalf in Oslo, Norway. She has spent more than a decade in prison over the past quarter-century, repeatedly targeted for her advocacy work.
Despite being released on medical grounds in December 2024 for three weeks due to a tumor removal and bone graft, Mohammadi continued to speak out, prompting fears among her lawyers that she would be re-imprisoned. She had not seen her children, who reside in Paris, since 2015.
The sentencing occurs amid a renewed crackdown on dissent in Iran, following weeks of anti-government protests in late December. The protests were sparked by questions surrounding the death of Alikordi, the lawyer Mohammadi publicly mourned.
Mohammadi’s husband, Taghi Rahmani, stated that she chose not to mount a defense in court, believing the Iranian judiciary lacks legitimacy and that the proceedings were predetermined. “She did not utter a single word, nor did she sign a single paper,” he said.
Nili indicated that the verdict is not final and can be appealed, expressing hope that Mohammadi might be temporarily released on bail to receive medical treatment.
