The concerned authorities in Iran recently arrested Narges Mohammadi (b. April 21, 1972), the Human Rights activist and a vocal proponent of mass feminist civil disobedience against the mandatory hijab rule in the Islamic Republic who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and to promote Human Rights and Freedom for all“, during an event in Mashhad.

The Narges Foundation has confirmed the news, mentioning in a statement that the 53-year-old activist was arrested while attending a memorial service for a Human Rights lawyer on December 12, 2025 in northeastern Iranian city of Mashhad. Her supporters alleged that Narges was forcibly detained during the gathering. Protests have erupted across the West Asian nation demanding her immediate release. As expected, the US and Western European countries have increased pressure on Tehran for the immediate release of Narges.

Narges was sentenced to over 30 years in prison and 154 lashes across five convictions and arrested 13 times before receiving the Nobel Peace Prize. She had been serving 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against the Government of Iran. She reportedly issued several statements in support of the Women, Life, Freedom Protest Movement that erupted in 2022 following the custodial death of 22-year-old Kurdish Iranian woman Jina Mahsa Amini who was detained by the Morality Police for allegedly wearing the compulsory hijab in an improper manner. However, she was granted a temporary medical release, or medical leave, from Tehran’s Evin Prison in December 2024 due to ill health following a surgery. It was not a formal parole.

Even after her release, Narges has been seen participating in various anti-government protests. There is significant uncertainty about her exact whereabouts following her recent detention in Mashhad. The Administration of President Masoud Pezeshkian is yet to issue an official statement on her arrest.

On December 12, Narges attended the memorial service of Khosrow Alikordi (November 26, 1979 – December 6, 2025), the 46-year-old Human Rights lawyer who was found dead in his own office in Mashhad on December 6. Although the concerned authorities declared a heart attack as the cause of death; a number of lawyers, Human Rights activists and his family members considered his death suspicious and a “state-sponsored murder“. As Alikordi used to represent political prisoners, protesters and the justice-seeking families of those killed in the Mahsa Amini protests, he was sentenced to imprisonment, exile and a ban on practicing law.

Narges and other women have appeared in viral social media videos without a hijab at the memorial event. Some of her supporters believe that Narges might have been detained for not wearing a hijab. While addressing the memorial service, she also brought up the case of Majidreza Rahnavard (June 16, 1999 – December 12, 2022), the first person executed in public for charges stemming from his involvement in the Mahsa Amini protests. The Nobel laureate was forcibly arrested shortly afterwards.

The most significant threat to her health came in 2022, when Narges suffered multiple heart attacks before ultimately being transferred to a hospital for emergency surgery. Three days later (against medical advice and before she had fully recuperated), she was returned to prison. Narges remained there for three days before being released on medical furlough. One month later, she was rearrested and returned to prison.

Her supporters believe that Narges may be subjected to physical torture yet again while in prison. They fear that the situation could worsen if she is not released from custody immediately.

Meanwhile,

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Facebook

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Twitter

Boundless Ocean of Politics on Linkedin

Contact us: kousdas@gmail.com

Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das