Iranian security forces on Friday “violently” detained 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi during a memorial ceremony held for prominent lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week. The information was confirmed by Mohammadi’s foundation in a statement posted on X.
Mohammadi, who had been granted temporary leave from prison in December 2024, was attending the ceremony alongside several activists in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad when she was arrested. Her Paris-based husband, Taghi Rahmani, also wrote on X that she was detained along with fellow activist Sepideh Gholian, another well-known critic of the Iranian authorities.
Death of a Prominent Lawyer Triggers Outrage
Khosrow Alikordi, 45, was a well-known lawyer who had defended individuals arrested during Iran’s nationwide protests that erupted in 2022 following widespread unrest over women’s rights and political freedoms. His body was discovered on December 5, prompting international rights groups to demand a thorough and transparent investigation.
Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR) described Alikordi’s death as carrying “very serious suspicion of a state murder,” fuelling further concern among activists.
Scenes From the Arrest: Slogans, Defiance, and Footage from the Ceremony
Footage shared by the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) showed Mohammadi attending the memorial without the mandatory headscarf—an act of defiance that has become a hallmark of her activism. She was surrounded by supporters chanting slogans such as:
- “Long live Iran”
- “We fight, we die, we accept no humiliation”
- “Death to the dictator”
The gathering marked seven days since Alikordi’s death, in accordance with Islamic tradition.
Additional videos broadcast by Persian-language television networks abroad showed Mohammadi climbing atop a vehicle and addressing the crowd with a microphone, encouraging more people to join in the chants.
A Life Marked by Resistance and Imprisonment
Mohammadi, 53, has spent much of the past decade behind bars and was last arrested in November 2021. Her activism has made her one of Iran’s most recognised dissidents, known for speaking against compulsory veiling laws, political repression, and systemic abuses by the Iranian state.
Her twin children accepted her Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo in 2023, as she remained imprisoned in Iran. She has not seen them for 11 years. In a message marking their 19th birthday last month, Mohammadi revealed she had been permanently banned from leaving the country.
Even outside prison, she continued her activism—appearing in public without a headscarf, addressing international audiences through video, and meeting with activists across Iran. She has repeatedly predicted the fall of Iran’s clerical establishment, which has ruled the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Her latest arrest underscores growing tensions inside Iran, as authorities intensify crackdowns on dissent while activists and rights groups continue to demand accountability, justice, and political reform.