SRINAGAR: Iranian authorities have detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights activist Narges Mohammadi during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, drawing sharp condemnation from international rights groups and the Norwegian Nobel Committee, reports appearing in the global media said.
Mohammadi, 53, was arrested on Friday while attending a memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a well-known human rights lawyer who was recently found dead in his office under circumstances that supporters say remain unclear. The Narges Foundation, which represents her family and supporters, said she was “violently detained” by security and police forces, along with several other activists. The account was first reported by the Associated Press.
Iranian state television quoted Mashhad city governor Hasan Hosseini as saying prosecutors had ordered the temporary detention of several participants after what he described as “norm-breaking” slogans were chanted at the ceremony. He did not name Mohammadi directly or respond to allegations that security forces used violence during the arrests.
Footage circulated by Mohammadi’s foundation appeared to show her addressing a large crowd without wearing a hijab and leading chants that included the name of Majidreza Rahnavard, a protester publicly executed in 2022 during nationwide demonstrations sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini. Other videos from the scene showed anti-government slogans being raised before security forces intervened.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee said it was “deeply concerned” by reports of Mohammadi’s arrest and called on Iranian authorities to clarify her whereabouts immediately. “The Committee calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions,” it said in a statement.
Rights advocates said the detention marked a further escalation in Iran’s crackdown on dissent at a time of acute internal and external pressure. Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based Centre for Human Rights in Iran, said the arrest showed that “even mourning a slain lawyer has become a punishable act”, describing it as a serious assault on basic freedoms.
Mohammadi had been on medical furlough since December 2024 after serving part of a 13-year-and-nine-month sentence on charges including collusion against state security and propaganda against the government. Although her leave was initially granted for three weeks, it was repeatedly extended amid international pressure and concerns over her health. Supporters say she suffered multiple heart attacks in prison and underwent surgery in 2022, while doctors later removed a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous.
In February 2025, the Free Narges Coalition said her medical team had recommended at least six more months of leave to allow for specialised cardiac care, physiotherapy and ongoing monitoring. The group warned that a return to prison under stressful conditions and without adequate medical facilities could severely endanger her health.
Despite her release, Mohammadi continued to speak out, taking part in public protests and giving interviews to international media. She even demonstrated outside Tehran’s Evin prison, where she had been held. Her activism had fuelled fears among supporters that she could be re-arrested at any time.
An engineer by training, Mohammadi has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times, receiving sentences that together exceed 30 years. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her long-running campaign for women’s rights and human rights in Iran, becoming a global symbol of resistance following the Woman, Life, Freedom protests of 2022.
Analysts say her detention could intensify Western pressure on Tehran at a sensitive moment, as Iran signals interest in renewed negotiations with the United States over its nuclear programme while grappling with sanctions, an ailing economy and regional tensions.
There was no immediate official confirmation on whether Mohammadi would be returned to prison. Her supporters said they remained in the dark about her location and condition, raising fresh fears for her safety.
