The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was arrested on Friday in the city of Mashhad. (Photo: X/@ThorHalvorssen)
Iranian authorities have detained Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi at a memorial service for a human rights lawyer who recently died in disputed circumstances, her supporters said on Friday. They said she was taken away by security forces and that several other activists were also held, Associated Press (AP) reported.
Who is Narges Mohammadi?
Mohammadi, 53, is an engineer by training and one of Iran’s most prominent human rights activists. She has been imprisoned 13 times and convicted five times over the past two decades, receiving sentences that add up to more than 30 years.
Prominent Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi is seen in a meeting on women’s rights in Tehran, Iran, on July 3, 2008. (AP Photo)
Her most recent imprisonment began in 2021 after she attended a memorial for a protester killed in nationwide demonstrations.
Supporters call for her release
A foundation named after her said Mohammadi was “violently detained earlier today by security and police forces”. “The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity,” the group said in a statement quoted by AP.
There was no immediate response from Iranian authorities. It remains unclear whether Mohammadi will be taken back to prison to serve the remainder of her sentence.
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Extended medical leave
Mohammadi had been out of prison on medical furlough since December 2024. Although the leave was initially approved for three weeks, she remained out for months as activists and Western governments urged Iran not to return her to detention. She continued her public activism during this period, even joining demonstrations outside Tehran’s Evin prison.
Her lawyers and supporters say she has serious health issues. She suffered multiple heart attacks in custody and underwent emergency surgery in 2022. Doctors later removed a bone lesion in 2024.
“The medical team overseeing Mohammadi’s health has warned that her return to prison under stressful conditions and without proper medical facilities could severely worsen her physical well-being,” the Free Narges Coalition said in February 2025.
Previous convictions and the hijab protests
Mohammadi had been serving a sentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against the government. She also supported the nationwide protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini, during which many women stopped wearing the compulsory hijab.
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Her supporters said she was detained on Friday at a memorial for a lawyer who had recently died. The circumstances around the lawyer’s death have been disputed. Several others at the ceremony were arrested as well, according to the foundation.
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The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi was arrested on Friday in the city of Mashhad. (Photo: X/@ThorHalvorssen) 
