Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of Iran’s most prominent human rights defenders, was violently detained by security forces while attending a memorial in Mashhad, her supporters said, in an incident that has sparked renewed international alarm. The arrest comes despite her fragile medical condition and ongoing furlough, underscoring an intensifying crackdown by Iranian authorities.
Mohammadi, 53, had been released temporarily on medical grounds in late 2024, following years in detention marked by heart complications, major surgery, and repeated rights abuses. Her supporters expected the furlough to continue given her condition, but she was seized during a gathering commemorating the late human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, whose own death earlier this month has drawn scrutiny from activists.
Witnesses described a heavy security presence at the memorial, which was held to mark the seventh day since Alikordi’s death. Footage circulated online showed Mohammadi, unveiled, addressing the crowd and leading chants referencing Majidreza Rahnavard, an Iranian man executed publicly in 2022. Within minutes, security forces launched a coordinated sweep, detaining Mohammadi and several other activists. The Narges Foundation stated she was “violently detained,” and videos posted by supporters reinforced accounts of forceful arrests.
Mashhad’s governor, Hasan Hosseini, acknowledged that attendees had been taken into custody, calling it a “preventive” measure. He did not address allegations of violence or confirm Mohammadi’s detention. Human rights groups, however, condemned the arrests as the latest demonstration of the state’s hostility towards dissent. Hadi Ghaemi of the Center for Human Rights in Iran said the episode exposed “a government terrified of truth and accountability,” unable to tolerate even peaceful mourning.
Mohammadi’s detention is part of a broader escalation in Iran’s repression of activists amid economic strain, public frustration, and fears of renewed regional conflict. The timing has drawn diplomatic concern, especially as Tehran has signaled interest in reviving nuclear talks with Washington. Her case, which already commands significant global attention, risks derailing Iran’s attempts to project stability.
Adding to the unease are unresolved questions surrounding Alikordi’s death. Authorities have attributed it to a heart attack, but more than 80 lawyers and human rights advocates have demanded an independent investigation, noting that the circumstances coincide with an intensified security crackdown.
Despite her precarious health, Mohammadi had continued participating in public activism while on furlough, including protests outside Tehran’s Evin Prison. Her decades of advocacy have resulted in five convictions and at least 13 detentions, making her one of the most persistently targeted figures in Iran’s civil rights movement. Her latest arrest reinforces the pattern: her 2021 imprisonment also followed her participation in a memorial gathering.
As global organisations and foreign governments prepare statements condemning the arrest, Mohammadi’s fate once again hangs in the balance — a stark symbol of Iran’s tightening grip on civil society at a moment of deep political volatility.
