Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was detained after speaking at a memorial in Mashhad; her family says she was beaten during the arrest and has visible bruising. Authorities have refused requests for an independent medical examination despite reports of hospital visits. Amnesty International accuses security forces of torture, and lawyers supporting Mohammadi plan to seek an ICC inquiry alleging crimes against humanity. The arrest occurred amid a broader crackdown in Iran, with rights groups reporting thousands of arrests and numerous executions this year.
Iran Denies Independent Medical Exam for Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi After Arrest, Family Says
Mohammadi has been allowed one phone call with her family (-)(-/NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION/AFP)
Iranian authorities have refused requests for an independent medical examination of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, her family said, after she was reportedly beaten during her arrest following a memorial in the eastern city of Mashhad.
Hamid Reza Mohammadi, Narges's brother who lives in Norway, told reporters in Paris via video link that another brother in Iran spoke briefly to her by phone late on Sunday. He said she told him police had struck her with truncheons to the face, head and neck and that she had visible bruising to her neck and face.
"She was in a very bad condition physically," Hamid Reza said. Family members say a relative inside Iran requested an independent doctor to rule out internal bleeding or other internal injuries, but that authorities denied the request. Supporters said prison officials took Mohammadi to hospital twice after her arrest.
Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was detained on Friday along with dozens of activists after speaking at a memorial for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead earlier this month. Images shared on social media showed Mohammadi standing on a car without the Islamic headscarf required for women in Iran as crowds chanted anti-government slogans.
Amnesty International said in a statement that Iranian security forces carried out "torture and other ill-treatment" during the arrests, accusing them of "violently beating" Mohammadi and fellow activist Alieh Motalbzadeh.
Chirinne Ardakani, Mohammadi's Paris-based lawyer, said at least 50 people were arbitrarily detained at the memorial — more than the 39 detainees publicly acknowledged by authorities — and described a heavy security presence on motorbikes. Ardakani quoted Mohammadi addressing the crowd: "We stand tall, as brothers and sisters, we will stand tall until victory. Long live the fighters for freedom!" She said Mohammadi was immediately surrounded and detained after those remarks.
Rights groups regard Alikordi's death as suspicious, while Iranian officials have said he died of a heart attack. Activists say the arrests come amid a wider, intensified crackdown in Iran: they report thousands of arrests and numerous executions this year, and a UN fact-finding mission in October documented more than 21,000 arrests during the conflict period and around 1,200 executions up to that point.
Ardakani said lawyers and rights groups supporting Mohammadi plan to file a communication with the International Criminal Court's prosecutor in The Hague alleging crimes against humanity. She acknowledged Iran is not a party to the ICC's Rome Statute but said an inquiry could be opened under Article 15 because of the "massive and generalised character of the repression."
The Mohammadi family and supporters say they remain deeply worried about her health, the conditions of her detention and the refusal to allow an independent medical check.
