Jailed Iranian Nobel Laureate To Stand Trial

Human rights activist Narges Mohammadi
Human rights activist Narges Mohammadi

Narges Mohammadi, a prominent human rights activist already spending her prison long time, is set to face a third trial on Tuesday in Tehran.

Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. The trial, scheduled in the Revolutionary Court, would focus on her human rights activities inside Tehran's Evin Prison.

Last week, after receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, Mohammadi was summoned to the women's ward office and notified that her trial would take place on December 19.

She has issued several statements from prison against the government. The Defenders of Human Rights Center confirms the news, describing the swift initiation of a new case following the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony as the regime's retaliation for her years of human rights advocacy.

The Center emphasizes, "The award has provided an unprecedented opportunity for the unheard voices and the realization of freedom and justice for political and ideological prisoners."

The Nobel Peace Prize ceremony on December 10 in Oslo, Norway, took place without Mohammadi's presence. Instead, her children, Ali and Kiana Rahmani, accepted the award on her behalf.

Close associates of Mohammadi reveal that since November 29, prison authorities have deprived her of phone calls and family visits. Over the past years, she has faced various charges related to her human rights activities, resulting in multiple arrests, trials, and approximately six years of imprisonment.

Her most recent arrest occurred in November 2021, leading to a cumulative sentence of 10 years and 9 months in prison, 154 lashes, a 4-month travel ban, street cleaning, and two cash fines in various cases.