Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, including six years for "gathering and collusion" and 18 months for propaganda, her lawyer said. She also faces two years' internal exile to Khosf and a two-year travel ban. Mohammadi began a hunger strike on Feb. 2 to protest detention conditions, was hospitalised, and then returned to custody; her lawyer says the verdict can be appealed and is seeking medical bail.
Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Sentenced To More Than Seven Years, Faces Exile And Travel Ban
Narges Mohammadi is the second Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi [File: Behrouz Mehri/AFP]
Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, 53, has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison, her lawyer and a supporting foundation said. The sentence was communicated to Mohammadi while she was detained in Mashhad, according to her legal team and the Narges Foundation.
Verdict and Penalties
Mohammadi was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of "gathering and collusion to commit crimes," and to an additional 18 months for "propaganda activities," her lawyer Mostafa Nili told AFP. She has also been ordered to two years' internal exile to the city of Khosf in South Khorasan province and received a two-year ban on leaving Iran.
Health, Hunger Strike and Detention Conditions
The Narges Foundation said Mohammadi had begun a hunger strike on February 2 to protest detention conditions and restrictions on making phone calls to lawyers and family. The foundation added that she ended the hunger strike after six days but that reports indicated her physical condition remained "deeply alarming."
"She was transferred to hospital three days ago due to deteriorating health but was returned to the Ministry of Intelligence's security detention centre in Mashhad before completing treatment," the foundation said.
Legal Options and Context
Nili said the verdict is not final and can be appealed; he said he hopes Mohammadi may be temporarily released on bail for medical treatment given her health issues. Mohammadi, a prominent writer and journalist, is deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) and has campaigned for women's rights, opposed the death penalty and denounced corruption.
Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was arrested on December 12 after publicly questioning the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi. At the time, prosecutor Hasan Hematifar said Mohammadi had made provocative remarks at Alikordi's memorial in Mashhad and encouraged attendees "to chant norm-breaking slogans" and "disturb the peace." Mohammadi and her supporters deny wrongdoing and say her detention and treatment violate human rights norms.
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