Iranian Nobel laureate handed further prison sentence, lawyer says

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has been handed further prison sentences of seven-and-a-half years by an Iranian court, her lawyer has said.

The human rights activist was sentenced to six years for "gathering and collusion", and one-and-a-half years for "propaganda activities" by a court in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, Mostafa Nili announced on social media on Sunday.

The 53-year-old was made a Nobel laureate in 2023 for her activism against female oppression in Iran.

Nili, who spoke to Mohammadi for the first time since 14 December, said she had also been handed a two-year ban on leaving the country and two years of exile to the eastern Khusf region.

The Narges Foundation, which supports her, described the hearing on Saturday as a "sham" and explained she had begun a hunger strike on 2 February.

Nili said she had been taken to hospital three days ago "due to her poor physical condition" before being returned to the detention centre she is being held in.

"When she began to explain the events and how she was detained, the phone was disconnected."

Mohammadi's husband, Taghi Rahmani, said she offered no defence while in court due to her "steadfast" belief that "this judiciary holds no legitimacy".

"She views these proceedings as a mere charade with a pre-determined end," he added.

"Though she was likely forced to attend, she remained silent - she did not utter a single word, nor did she sign a single paper. She refused to play a part in their show, leaving them to sign their own verdict before being taken back."

Meanwhile, Kiana Rahmani, Mohammadi's daughter, said she was "gravely concerned" for her mother.

Mohammadi has already spent more than 10 years of her life in prison. The Narges Foundation says the latest sentence brings the total time she has been ordered to spend in prison to 44 years.

Since 2021, she has been serving a 13-year sentence for "propaganda activity against the state" and "collusion against state security", charges she denies.

The activist was given temporary release from Tehran's notorious Evin prison for three weeks in December 2024 on medical grounds.

She was expected to return to prison soon after, where she was serving multiple sentences.

The most recent arrest came as she attended a memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer who had been found dead in his office in early December.

Norway-based group Iran Human Rights has called for an independent inquiry to establish how he died, saying the circumstances surrounding his death were "suspicious".

The Narges Foundation previously said eyewitnesses had seen Mohammadi being attacked by around 15 plainclothes agents of the regime while at the memorial event, and that some were seen pulling her hair and beating her with clubs and batons.

Mashhad prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters that Mohammadi had been among 39 people arrested, and she and Alikordi's brother had encouraged those present "to chant norm-breaking slogans" and "disturb the peace".