Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has been handed further prison sentences of seven-and-a-half years by an Iranian court, her lawyer has reported. This includes six years for 'gathering and collusion' and an additional 1.5 years for 'propaganda activities' as stated by Mostafa Nili, her attorney.
According to Iranian authorities, the 53-year-old activist was arrested in December for making 'provocative remarks' at a memorial ceremony. Her family claims that Mohammadi was treated violently during her arrest, requiring medical attention due to injuries sustained.
Mohammadi has been honored as a Nobel laureate in 2023 for her activism opposing female oppression in Iran. Recently, she was also sentenced to a two-year travel ban and two years of exile. The Narges Foundation, which advocates for her cause, has denounced the latest court proceedings as a 'sham.'
On February 2, she began a hunger strike to protest her treatment and the conditions of her imprisonment. Her lawyer revealed that she had to be hospitalized due to her deteriorating health before being returned to detention.
While she refuses to legitimize the judiciary by participating in court proceedings, Mohammadi's husband has declared her steadfast belief in the illegitimacy of the court. As an activist who has already spent over a decade in prison, the cumulative sentences now total an alarmingly high 44 years.
International and human rights organizations have condemned her treatment and called for accountability, expressing concern over her health and the potential implications for justice in Iran.
The circumstances surrounding her latest arrest remain contentious, with allegations of violence by Iranian security forces who reportedly attacked her at the memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer whose mysterious death has raised suspicions. Calls for an independent inquiry into his death continue from organizations such as Iran Human Rights.
