Iran Arrests Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi During Memorial in Mashhad

Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and long-time Iranian human rights campaigner, was detained on Dec. 12 while attending a memorial in Mashhad for human-rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, supporters and rights groups said.

“- Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was arrested in Mashhad while attending a memorial for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, her foundation and supporters said”

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Multiple outlets described the detention as violent, and footage shows Mohammadi speaking without a headscarf and leading chants before security forces intervened; the Paris-based Narges Foundation and witnesses said other activists were rounded up and taken to undisclosed locations.

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Iranian authorities had not publicly commented on the arrests at the time of reporting.

Mohammadi is serving a lengthy prison sentence.

She had been on temporary medical furlough prior to the memorial, prompting supporters to warn that returning her to custody could endanger her already fragile health.

Al Jazeera

Multiple reports note she was granted medical leave in December 2024 and has a history of serious health problems.

Outlets also record that she has spent years in and out of prison on charges tied to national security and protest-era activism.

The memorial was held for Khosrow (or Khosro) Alikordi, a human-rights lawyer.

“Nobel Peace Prize laureate and women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been "violently arrested," her Narges Foundation said, with her brother confirming she was detained in the eastern city of Mashhad along with other activists”

BBC

His recent death has provoked questions, with provincial officials reportedly saying he died of a heart attack.

Lawyers and rights groups have called for independent probes amid suspicions.

More than 80 lawyers signed a statement seeking more information about Alikordi’s unclear death.

Several outlets link the arrest of Mohammadi and others to a wider pattern of intimidation around gatherings commemorating victims of the 2022 protests.

International and domestic rights organizations immediately demanded Mohammadi’s release and clarity on her whereabouts, with the Narges Foundation and the Norwegian Nobel Committee among those calling for her immediate and unconditional release.

Media reports noted widespread concern from rights monitors and lawyers and recorded that Iranian authorities had not issued an official explanation by the time of reporting.

CBC

Observers and rights monitors place the detention within a broader pattern of crackdowns on activists in Iran.

“On December 12, 2025, security forces violently arrested Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and several other prominent human rights activists at the seventh-day memorial for Khosro Alikordi, a human rights lawyer who died under suspicious circumstances on December 8”

Center for Human Rights in Iran

Several sources link the arrests to intensified repression following the 2022 protests.

Center for Human Rights in Iran

They note that Mohammadi has repeatedly faced imprisonment, including detentions at memorials.

Critics say these repeated detentions point to a systematic effort to deter dissent.

Some outlets connect the arrests and the murky circumstances of Alikordi’s death to wider political strains inside Iran.

Those strains include sanctions and regional tensions that have previously influenced domestic crackdowns.