Narges Mohammadi
Detained: November 16, 2021.
Charges: "Collusion against state security," "Espionage for a hostile state," "Acting against national security and disrupting public order," "Propaganda against the state".
Sentence: 13 years and 3 months in prison, 154 lashes, and monthly reporting to the police, travel ban, and ban on political party membership for 2 years upon release.
- Original Charges: Collusion against state security," "Espionage for a hostile state," "Acting against national security and disrupting public order".
- Original Sentence: 8 years and 2 months in prison and 74 lashes.
Biography: Narges Mohammadi is a writer, former journalist, and the deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which advocates for human rights reform and represents political prisoners and prisoners of conscience in legal proceedings. She is also involved in campaigning against the death penalty in Iran, and is the author of White Torture, a two-volume book series investigating the inhumane treatment of prisoners in Iran. In September 2008, Mohammadi was elected as President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights.
Mohammadi has long suffered from persecution at the hands of the Iranian authorities; she has been banned from traveling abroad since 2009, when the authorities confiscated her passport. In June 2010, Mohammadi was arrested from her home without a warrant and held in connection with her work with the DHRC. She was released on bail in July 2010, but in 2011 was convicted of "acting against the national security," "membership of the DHRC," and "propaganda against the regime," for her reporting on human rights violations, cooperation with Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi, and visiting political prisoners. She was sentenced to serve a cumulative 11 years in prison, later reduced to six years on appeal. On April 21, 2012, Mohammadi was summoned to Evin prison to serve her sentence, but was released on bail on July 30, 2012, following the severe deterioration of her health.
After a speech in 2014 criticizing Evin Prison's horrific treatment of prisoners went viral on social media, several new charges were brought against her, including "spreading propaganda against the system," "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security," and "membership of an illegal organization whose aim is to harm national security" for her work with Legam, an organization that campaigned against the death penalty in Iran. In May 2015, Mohammadi was arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison: five years for "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security," one year for "spreading propaganda against the system," and 10 years for "membership of an illegal organization whose aim is to harm national security." Under legislation adopted in 2015, a person sentenced to several jail terms is required to serve that with the most severe penalty—in this case, 10 years, added to her previous six-year sentence. Intelligence officials were reported to have said that she was being arrested to continue serving her previous six-year sentence. Her trial was subject to several postponements without any explanation provided by the court. Evidence used against Mohammadi included media interviews she had conducted, her connections to human rights defenders, as well as her activities against the death penalty, including her work with the campaigning group, Step by Step to Stop the Death Penalty. It also included her meeting with EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy Catherin Ashton in March 2014. On September 19, 2016, Mohammadi attended Branch 36 of Tehran's Appeal's Court in order to appeal her sentence; however, she was informed that the court had already reached its verdict to uphold the sentence, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran.
Less than six months after her release in October 2020, Mohammadi was convicted of propaganda, defamation, and rebellion charges against the Iranian government–citing her statements against the death penalty, her speaking up about torture and abuse during her prior prison sentence, and her organization of a sit-in in protest–leading to a sentence of 30 months, 80 lashes, and a fine. Mohammadi was arrested in November 2021 and subsequently detained at Qarchak Prison, where she endured solitary confinement and intensive psychological torture. In January 2022, Mohammadi received an additional sentence of eight years and 70 lashes during her imprisonment for her activism and expression, including her consistent efforts to highlight poor prison conditions and systematic abuse of detainees in her book "White Torture." She was granted temporary medical furlough for heart surgery in February, but was taken back into custody on April 12, 2022.
Despite losing telephone and visitation rights after her public condemnations of Iran's human rights violations, Mohammadi has continued to research and protest from Evin Prison, organizing sit-ins, delivering speeches, and producing reports of the abuse in imprisonment. Mohammadi has also been denied medication, prompting her worsened health conditions. She was additionally charged with a 15-month prison term in October 2022 for alleged propaganda against the system, a conviction stemming from her expression of support for the Iranian people's right to protest. The sentence also includes post-release sanctions such as two-year monthly reporting to the police, two-year travel ban, and a ban on political party and group membership. Since January 2023, five additional cases have been opened against Mohammadi by the Ministry of Intelligence, based on her expression and activism from within Evin Prison; she has refused to attend any of the hearings in these cases on the grounds that they are illegitimate.
Mohammadi has earned several accolades for her advocacy. She has been the recipient of the Alexander Langer Award (2009), the Per Anger Prize (2011), the PEN/Oxfam Novib Free Expression Award (2013), the Reporters without Borders Prize for Courage (2022), Sweden's Olof Palme Prize for Human Rights (2023), UNESCO/ Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize (2023), and the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award (2023).
Mohammadi is the mother of twins (born in November 2006), and the wife of prominent journalist and activist Taghi Rahmani, who has spent a total of 17 years in prison. Rahmani left the country in May 2011 following escalating pressure from the authorities. Their children joined him in July 2015.
Mohammadi suffers from a neurological disorder that can result in seizures, temporary partial paralysis, and pulmonary embolism—a blood clot in her lung. Serious concerns for Mohammadi's health persist following reports that she suffered several seizures in August and October 2015. According to reports, Mohammadi was taken to hospital on each occasion and on at least one instance she was returned to prison against medical advice. In a subsequent incident she was handcuffed to the bed for the first few days of her hospital stay. According to reports, Mohammadi then faced an additional charge of "insulting officers while being transferred to a hospital" after she filed a complaint with regards to the treatment she experienced at the hands of prison guards when she was transferred to hospital for examinations. Following her rearrest in 2022, her husband reported that prison authorities were deliberately exacerbating Mohammadi's illness after a stint in the hospital in June 2022 by withholding the medication for her condition.
Advocacy Partner: PEN America
Advocate: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC)
Updates:
On June 18, 2023, Narges Mohammadi received her fifth court summons in six months for her work revealing prison conditions. She refused to attend the proceeding (July 10, 2023, Iran International).
In recognition of the one year anniversary of the arrest of Fariba Kamalabadi and Mahvash Sabet, Narges Mohammadi, along with a number of other imprisoned women, published a poem highlighting Iran’s persecution of the Baha’i (August 3, 2023, Iran Press Watch).
On August 4, 2023, it was reported that Narges Mohammadi had been sentenced to an additional year in prison on charges of "propaganda against the Islamic Republic system" resulting from recent statements she had made. The additional charge increased her total sentence to 10 years and 9 months in prison and 154 lashes (August 4, 2023, Voice of America).
- In the weeks before the 2023 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded, Narges Mohammadi, Ilham Tohti, and Alexei Navalny were named as possible contenders for the prize (September 29, 2023, Reuters).
On October 6, 2023, Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace for her work on women’s rights in Iran, making her the 5th person awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while imprisoned (October 6, 2023, Associated Press). President Joe Biden and the organization Front Line Defenders were among those who released statements calling for her immediate release while celebrating her achievement (October 6, 2023, The White House; Front Line Defenders). His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama also released a statement congratulating her on the award (October 6, 2023, Dalai Lama).
On October 11, 2023, UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Narges Mohammadi’s immediate release (October 11, 2023, OHCHR).
On October 30, 2023, Narges Mohammadi was barred from being taken to a hospital to receive necessary medical care due to her refusal to wear a headscarf (October 31, 2023, Iran Wire).
In response to the continued denial of medical treatment for “blockages in three veins and lung pressure,” Narges Mohammadi began a hunger strike on November 6, 2023 (November 6, 2023, Associated Press). The refusal to provide her with necessary medical care was condemned by Reporters Without Borders and the International Federation for Human Rights (November 8, 2023, Reporters Without Borders; November 13, 2023, FIDH). The hunger strike lasted three days and ended on November 9, 2023 after Mohammadi was permitted to visit a hospital without wearing a hijab (November 9, 2023, CNN).
Narges Mohammadi was admitted to the hospital on November 16, 2023, to receive an angiography (November 16, 2023, Iran Wire).
On November 28, 2023, Narges Mohammadi joined Fariba Kamalabadi, Mahvash Sabet, and 11 other inmates at Evin Prison in signing a letter offering condolences to the family of Afagh Khosravi Zand following her death in prison and commemorating her life of activism (December 6, 2023, Iran Press Watch).
On December 9, 2023, Mahvash Sabet and Fariba Kamalabadi began a three-day hunger strike in protest of the Iranian government’s treatment of Baha’is (December 14, 2023, Iran Press Watch). Narges Mohammadi joined the hunger strike in solidarity (December 9, 2023, CBS News).
In honor of International Women’s Day 2024, Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, and Narges Mohammadi joined eight of their fellow inmates in signing an open letter condemning “Gender Apartheid” in Iran (March 9, 2024, Voice of America).
- On June 17, 2024, Narges Mohammadi and nine fellow inmates in Evin Prison published a letter expressing support for Mahvash Sabet, Fariba Kamalabadi, and the Baha’i community (June 17, 2024, Narges Mohammadi Human Rights Foundation).
- On June 18, 2024, Narges Mohammadi's lawyer reported that she had been sentenced to an additional year in prison on charges of “propaganda activities against the state.” The additional charge increased her total prison sentence to 13 years and 3 months (June 18, 2024, Front Line Defenders).
- On October 19, 2024, Narges Mohammadi was sentenced to an additional 6 months in prison on the charges of "disobeying and resisting orders" (October 25, 2024, Associated Press).
- Soon after the sentence was added, it was reported that 22 inmates at Evin Prison had published a letter calling for Mohammadi to receive urgent medical attention, as they were concerned for her worsening health issues that had been left untreated by prison authorities (October 24, 2024, Iran International).
- On October 24, 2024, the Free Narges Coalition released a statement condemning Narges Mohammadi's additional sentence and denial of medical care (October 24, 2024, PEN America).
In recognition of the Day of the Imprisoned Writer on November 15, 2024, PEN America highlighted the cases of Narges Mohammadi, Pham Doan Trang, Vladyslav Yesypenko, Xu Zhiyong, and Ilham Tohti (November 14, 2024, PEN America).
On November 18 2024, the Free Narges Coalition released a statement which called on the UN Human Rights Council to press for Narges Mohammadi’s release on medical furlough (November 18, 2024, Freedom House).
On November 22, 2024, a group of prominent activists, writers, and academics published an op-ed in Le Monde calling for the French government to take action to secure Narges Mohammadi’s immediate release (November 22, 2024, Le Monde).
Narges Mohammadi’s case was highlighted in the European Parliament resolution on the increasing and systematic repression of women in Iran adopted on November 28, 2024 (November 28, 2024, European Parliament).
- On December 4, 2024, Narges Mohammadi was temporarily released for three weeks while recovering from an emergency bone graft surgery received three weeks prior. The temporary release was considered to be inadequate for her recovery, as the recommended recovery period was three months (December 4, 2024, Associated Press; Iran Wire).
- While temporarily released on medical furlough, Narges Mohammadi was able to meet with the Norwegian Nobel Committee for the first time via video call on December 8, 2024 (December 14, 2024, Narges Mohammadi Human Rights Foundation).
On December 18, 2024, Narges Mohammadi participated in a video discussion with author Margaret Atwood on the impact of reading The Handmaid 's Tale while imprisoned in Iran (December 24, 2024, TIME).
Near the end of Narges Mohammadi’s initial three week medical furlough, her legal team requested an extension with the support of a “medical committee.” When the request had not yet been approved after the end of the 21 day furlough period, they expressed concern that Mohammadi could be returned to prison at any time January 6, 2025, Agence France Presse).
On January 23, 2025, Narges Mohammadi spoke before the French Senate and National Assembly via video call, where she highlighted the situation of women’s rights in Iran (January 23, 2025, Iran International).
On March 13, 2025, over 85 Nobel laureates released a joint statement calling for the unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi and all other political prisoners (March 13, 2025, Narges Foundation).
On March 31, 2025, Human Rights Watch called for the unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi (March 31, 2025, Human Rights Watch).
PEN America’s 2024 Freedom to Write Index highlighted the cases of Narges Mohammadi, Ilham Tohti, Xu Zhiyong, Mahvash Sabet, Vlasyslav Yesypenko, Alaa Abd El Fattah, and Pham Doan Trang, among others (April 24, 2025, PEN America).