Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to seven more years in prison | Iran
Iran has sentenced Nobel peace laureate Narges Mohammadi to more than seven years in prison after she went on a hunger strike, her supporters said Sunday, as Tehran cracked down on all dissent following nationwide protests and the killing of thousands of people by security forces.
The new convictions against Mohammedi come as Iran tries to negotiate with the United States over its nuclear program to prevent a military strike threatened by Donald Trump. Iran’s top diplomat said on Sunday that Tehran’s strength comes from its ability to “say no to the big powers” and that it has taken a maximalist position immediately after talks with the United States in Oman.
Muhammadi’s supporters cited his lawyer Mostafa Nili, who spoke to him, as an example. Nili confirmed the sentence against X, saying that the sentence was handed down by a court in the city of Mashhad on Saturday.
“He was sentenced to six years for assembly and collusion, one and a half years for propaganda, and a two-year travel ban,” he wrote. The lawyer added that Mohammedi was sent into internal exile for another two years to the city of Khosf, about 740 km (460 miles) southeast of the capital Tehran.
Iran did not immediately accept the punishment.
Supporters say Muhammadi has been on a hunger strike since February 2. He was arrested in December at a commemoration ceremony held in memory of 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights defender Khosrow Alikordi, who lives in Mashhad. Footage from the demonstration shows him shouting and demanding justice for Alikordi and others.
Supporters had warned for months before his December arrest that Mohammadi, 53, was at risk of being jailed again after being placed on leave in December 2024 due to medical concerns. Although this was only supposed to last three weeks, his release from prison was likely extended as activists and western powers pushed Iran to release him. He even stayed out during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
Mohammadi continued his activism through public protests and international media coverage; At one point he even demonstrated outside Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where he was held. He was imprisoned for 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against the Iranian government.
She had also supported the nationwide protests sparked by Mahsa Amini’s death in 2022, where women openly defied the government by not wearing hijab.
His supporters say Muhammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while in prison before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022. In late 2024, his lawyer revealed that doctors discovered he had a bone lesion that they feared might be cancerous, which was later removed.
“Given his illnesses, he is expected to be released on temporary bail to receive treatment,” Nili wrote.
However, Iranian officials have been signaling a tougher line against all dissidents since the demonstrations.
