Iranian women’s rights activist and Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, has been handed a fresh prison sentence of seven-and-a-half years, a group supporting her said on Sunday.
Mohammadi, 53, had been on a week-long hunger strike that ended on Sunday, according to a statement by the Narges Foundation. The group said she informed her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, during a brief phone call from prison that she received the verdict on Saturday. Iran’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The sentencing comes amid a renewed crackdown by Iranian authorities following nearly three weeks of anti-government protests that began in late December.
Mohammadi was arrested on December 12 after publicly condemning the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi. Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar alleged that she made provocative remarks during Alikordi’s memorial service in the northeastern city of Mashhad, encouraging attendees to chant what he described as “norm-breaking slogans” and disrupt public order.
She is currently being held at a detention facility in Mashhad.
“After weeks of complete isolation and a total communication blackout, she was finally able to briefly describe her condition during a phone call with her lawyer,” the foundation said.
According to the group, Mohammadi was sentenced to six years in prison on charges of assembly and collusion against national security, along with an additional 18 months for propaganda against the state. The court also imposed two years of internal exile in the city of Khusf and a two-year travel ban.
Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while already behind bars, in recognition of her long-running campaign to promote women’s rights and oppose the death penalty in Iran.