Iran has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights activist Narges Mohammadi to more than seven years in prison, supporters said Sunday, even as she continues a hunger strike in custody.
Mohammadi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed the decision in a post on X after speaking with her.
“She was sentenced to six years in prison for ‘gathering and collusion’ and one and a half years for propaganda along with a two-year travel ban,” Nili wrote.
Iranian authorities have not officially recognized the punishment.
Hunger strike to protest detention, prison conditions
Supporters say Mohammadi has been on hunger strike since February 2, protesting what her family describes as illegal detention, harsh prison conditions and restrictions on communication.
In a statement shared with CNN, Mohammadi’s foundation said the strike aims to draw attention not only to her case, but to the broader plight of political prisoners throughout Iran.
Family raises alarm over health risks
Mohammadi’s son, Ali Rahmani, said the family is deeply concerned about her health as the strike continues.
“What is happening in our country is a crime against humanity,” he said, adding that his mother had always called for “solidarity, unity and peace.”
The foundation warned that her detention was “extremely dangerous” given her medical history, which includes heart attacks, high blood pressure, chest pain and spinal disc problems.
Arrested during a memorial service
Mohammadi was arrested in December in Mashhad, Iran’s second largest city, during a memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a prominent lawyer and human rights defender who was found dead in his office in what activists called suspicious circumstances.
Her family said her last direct contact was a phone call with her brother on December 14, with no communication allowed since then.
“Silence and self-censorship”
According to her Paris-based lawyer, Chirinne Ardakani, Mohammadi was also demanding her basic rights while in custody.
“She is demanding her right to make phone calls, to have access to her lawyers in Iran and to be visited,” Ardakani told AFP.
Her foundation said authorities would only allow phone calls if she followed strict rules set by prosecutors, calling it an attempt to make her legal rights “dependent on silence and self-censorship.”
Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, said officials tried to dictate what she could say during the calls.
“The Narges we know refuses to submit to such pressure; she insists on telling her truth,” he said.
International interest is growing
Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, has spent most of the past two decades in and out of prison advocating for women’s rights, democracy and civil liberties. She won the award for her role in the fight against repression in Iran, particularly after she supported the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini in 2022.
Human rights organizations say Iran has responded to dissent with mass arrests and harsh prison conditions. The American EDGE estimates that more than 50,000 people were detained during the crackdown.
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