OSLO, Norway — The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned what it called the “brutal” arrest of 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in Mashhad, Iran, and demanded her immediate release Friday. The committee said Iranian authorities must disclose where Narges Mohammadi is being held and guarantee her safety as supporters warn her health could quickly deteriorate in custody, Dec. 12, 2025.
In a statement from the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the panel said Iranian authorities must “immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions,” adding that she was arrested alongside other activists.
In its report, Reuters said the committee also flagged the timing, noting the arrest came as Nobel attention focused on the newly named 2025 laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado.
What happened to Narges Mohammadi in Mashhad
Supporters say Narges Mohammadi was seized while attending a memorial for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in Iran’s northeast. The Associated Press reported a local official acknowledged arrests at the gathering but did not directly name Mohammadi, while state television said prosecutors ordered the temporary detention of participants after “norm-breaking” slogans were chanted.
Alikordi was found dead earlier this month in his office, provincial officials said, describing the death as a heart attack. Rights advocates have raised questions about the circumstances, and more than 80 lawyers signed a statement demanding more information, the AP reported.
Why the Nobel Committee is sounding the alarm about Narges Mohammadi
PEN America’s Free Narges Coalition said plainclothes security forces detained Mohammadi and several other rights defenders and journalists at the ceremony, including Alieh Motalebzadeh, Sepideh Gholian, Hasti Amiri and Pouran Nazemi, and called for the immediate release of everyone detained.
Mohammadi has spent years in and out of Tehran’s Evin prison on convictions tied to activism that includes campaigning for women’s rights and against executions. Supporters say she has suffered serious health problems and warn that detention without specialized care could put her at significant risk.
A familiar cycle, stretching back years
When Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in October 2023, Reuters reported she was already imprisoned, turning the award into a global rebuke of Tehran’s crackdown.
In December 2024, AP reported she was freed for 21 days on medical grounds after surgery, a temporary release her supporters argued was not enough.
Long before the Nobel spotlight, Mohammadi documented the psychological violence of solitary confinement in her book “White Torture,” reviewed by The Guardian in 2022 — a reminder that the pressure campaign against her has been building for years, not days.
For now, the Nobel Committee’s demand is simple: release Narges Mohammadi immediately, and account for her whereabouts and safety.
