Crackdown continues: Iran adds seven years to Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi’s sentence

WEB DESK: Iranian authorities have sentenced prominent human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to more than seven additional years in prison, her lawyers and supporters announced on Sunday.

According to AFP, the 53-year-old activist, already serving multiple prison terms for her advocacy work, received the new verdict on Saturday from a Revolutionary Court in the north-eastern city of Mashhad. According to her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, the sentence includes six years for “gathering and collusion to commit crimes against national security,” one-and-a-half years for “propaganda activities against the state,” a two-year ban on leaving the country, and two years of internal exile to the remote city of Khosf in South Khorasan province, approximately 740 kilometres south-east of Tehran.

“Sham Trial” claims as activist’s health deteriorates

The Narges Foundation, which supports her causes, described the trial as a “sham” and expressed grave concern over her deteriorating health. Mohammadi began a six-day hunger strike on February 2 to protest her unlawful detention conditions, inability to contact family and lawyers, and overall treatment in custody. She ended the strike on Sunday after being briefly transferred to a hospital due to worsening health but was returned to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention centre in Mashhad before completing treatment.

Mohammadi was arrested on December 12, 2025, while attending a memorial ceremony in Mashhad for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, whose death authorities deemed suspicious. Prosecutors accused her of making provocative remarks, encouraging disruptive slogans, and disturbing public peace during the event.

A veteran women’s rights defender, journalist, and deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC), Mohammadi has campaigned for decades against the death penalty and corruption, and for gender equality. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her tireless efforts to promote human rights and women’s rights in Iran, becoming the second Iranian woman to receive the honour after Shirin Ebadi.

Supporters note that this latest sentence adds to her previous convictions, with cumulative prison terms reportedly reaching significant lengths varying reports cite totals ranging from 17 to over 44 years across multiple cases though she has not served all consecutively due to releases and re-arrests.

The ruling comes amid Iran’s continued crackdown on dissent, following widespread protests and international scrutiny over its treatment of political prisoners and women’s rights activists. Human rights groups have condemned the sentence as further evidence of systematic repression.

Mohammadi’s lawyer expressed hope for her temporary release on bail for medical treatment, citing her fragile health condition. The verdict is not final and can be appealed.