Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Iranian officials have imposed an additional prison term of six months on Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, as reported by a group advocating for her release.
The Free Narges Coalition announced on Thursday that the verdict was issued on October 19, charging Mohammadi with “disobeying and resisting orders.”
This recent charge originated from an incident on August 6, when Mohammadi protested the execution of another political prisoner while in the women’s section of Evin Prison.
At 52 years old, Mohammadi holds the distinction of being the 19th female recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, joining the ranks of Iranian human rights advocate Shirin Ebadi, who received the honor in 2003.
Despite facing multiple arrests and spending several years imprisoned, Mohammadi has remained committed to her activism. Currently, she is incarcerated in Evin Prison, infamous for housing political detainees as well as individuals with connections to Western nations.
Before this recent sentence, she was already serving a 30-month prison term, to which an additional 15 months were added in January. The Iranian government has yet to officially recognize her new sentence.
This latest punishment seems to stem from the Iranian regime’s outrage over her receiving the Nobel Prize in October 2023 for her relentless activism, which has been met with a sustained government crackdown over the years.
Mohammadi is recognized as a prominent figure in the widespread, women-led protests ignited by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died while in police custody. Her demise has sparked one of the most formidable oppositions to the Iranian theocracy in recent history, especially after she was arrested for allegedly not adhering to the government’s mandated dress codes.
The coalition advocating for Mohammadi’s release has called for her immediate and unconditional freedom, expressing concerns about her declining health during her long-term imprisonment, which includes serious heart complications.