It was supposed to be a peaceful demonstration, but today’s demonstration in the city of Mashhad, Iran, ended with various arrests, including that of Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi. The activist was attending the memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a human rights lawyer who died in mysterious circumstances. The event, which had sparked great public outrage, was interrupted by the police and security forces, who also arrested other demonstrators.
This was made known by sources cited by Iran International. Narges Mohammadi, who is serving a prison sentence of 13 years and nine months in Tehran’s Evin prison (the same one where Cecilia Sala was locked up) was on leave for health reasons. The journalist and deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center is accused of various crimes, including “collaboration with hostile governments” and “propaganda against the regime”.
A life fighting for freedom
For her it is yet another arrest. In 2016 he received a prison sentence and 154 lashes for founding a human rights movement fighting for the abolition of the death penalty and for his opposition to the laws of the Islamic Republic. After being released in 2020, she was re-incarcerated in 2021, where she continued to report abuse and isolation of female prisoners. On October 6, 2023, while in prison, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and for her commitment to promoting human rights and freedoms for all.”
The activist has repeatedly denounced the serious threats received from Iranian security agencies. But despite numerous arrests and threats, he continued to make his voice heard against his people oppressed by the Iranian regime. Today Narges Mohammadi is a symbol against repression and violations of civil rights in the country. Among his most important battles are those for the release of political prisoners, the freedom of women, the end of the death penalty and the improvement of living conditions in Iranian prisons.
