Iran sentences Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi to six years in prison

Tehran: An Iranian court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi to six years in prison, her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, told AFP according to reports. Mohammadi, 53, received the sentence for “gathering and collusion to commit crimes,” according to Nili. She has also been banned from leaving Iran for two years.

In addition, Mohammadi was handed a one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for propaganda activities and is to be exiled for two years to Khosf, a city in South Khorasan province.

Mohammadi won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her activism. Over the past 25 years, she has frequently been tried and imprisoned for her outspoken opposition to Iran’s use of capital punishment and the mandatory dress code for women. She has spent much of the last decade in detention and has not seen her twin children, who reside in Paris, since 2015.

Who is Narges Mohammadi?

Narges Mohammadi, a prominent Iranian human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been sentenced to a total of six years in prison following a court ruling in Tehran. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed the sentence, which cites charges of “gathering and collusion to commit crimes.” In addition to the prison term, Mohammadi faces a two-year ban on international travel.

The court also imposed a one-and-a-half-year sentence for propaganda activities and mandated her exile to Khosf in South Khorasan province for two years. Mohammadi, 53, has a long history of activism, particularly focusing on opposing Iran’s capital punishment practices and advocating for women’s rights, including resistance to the country’s mandatory hijab laws.

Over the past quarter-century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly imprisoned. Her dedication to human rights has come at significant personal cost; she has spent much of the last decade behind bars and has been separated from her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015. Her efforts were internationally recognised in 2023 when she received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Her latest sentencing highlights the continued crackdown on activists in Iran and underscores the risks faced by those challenging state policies.