Narges Mohammadi, the Nobel Prize-winning activist, faces a lengthened imprisonment as Iranian authorities level new charges against her for continuing to advocate for human rights from within the prison system.
Narges Mohammadi:The Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner was just sentenced to 7.5 more years in prison. Profile on her activism, arrests, and health. (Image: File)
Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been sentenced to an additional 7.5 years in prison by a Revolutionary Court. The new sentence, confirmed by her lawyer on Sunday, extends her decades-long battle with Iranian authorities from within the detention system that has repeatedly confined her.
The 53-year-old engineer and writer Narges Mohammadi serves as the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which was established by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi. She is a well-known worldwide representation of Iran's struggle for human dignity and women's rights. Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all,” she has spent much of the past decade in prison. Her children accepted the award on her behalf in Oslo while she remained incarcerated in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Based on accusations originating from her advocacy, the punishment, which was imposed on February 8, 2026, consists of several punitive measures. According to the Narges Foundation, which supports her, the sentence breaks down as:
This new term adds to a previous sentence of nearly 14 years she was already serving, bringing her total cumulative prison time to over two decades.
Mohammadi was arrested on December 12, 2025, after attending a memorial service for human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in Mashhad. Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar accused her of making “provocative remarks” and encouraging attendees “to chant norm‑breaking slogans” and “disturb the peace.” The sentencing coincides with a renewed government crackdown on dissent following recent anti-government protests. Mohammadi ended a week-long hunger strike the same day her new sentence was reported.
Supporters express severe concern for her health, citing a history of heart attacks and a recent surgery for a bone lesion. She has been arrested 13 times and convicted five times throughout her three-decade activism career, which focuses on abolishing the death penalty—she co-founded the group Legam—and fighting mandatory hijab laws. Even from prison, she has been a leading voice in the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement, organizing protests among inmates and smuggling out statements. In one such message, she wrote, “Victory is not easy, but it is certain.”
A: She is a trained engineer but was banned from practicing due to her activism. She is also a journalist and vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center.
A: For her decades-long efforts to end the oppression of Iranian women and to promote human rights and the repeal of the death penalty, she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023.
A: She is currently held in a detention center in Mashhad. Her new sentence includes a future internal exile to the city of Khusf.
A: Given her history of severe health problems, her lawyer and support groups express major worries. She just finished a hunger strike in protest of the conditions in prison.
Disclaimer: This information is based on inputs from news agency reports. TSG does not independently confirm the information provided by the relevant sources.
