DUBAI, U.A.E.: Supporters of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi noted on December 12 that the government had arrested her.
She was arrested while attending a memorial in Mashhad, about 420 miles northeast of the capital, Tehran, for a human rights lawyer who was recently found dead under unclear circumstances, according to a foundation run in her name.
A local official acknowledged that arrests had been made but did not directly name Mohammadi, 53. It was unclear whether authorities would send her back to prison, where she had been serving a sentence until her temporary release in December 2024 for medical reasons.
Her detention comes as part of a broader crackdown by Iran on intellectuals and others. Tehran is grappling with sanctions, an ailing economy, and fears of a renewed war with Israel. Arresting Mohammadi may only increase pressure at a time when Iran has repeatedly signaled it wants new negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program.
Her supporters said Mohammadi had been "violently detained earlier today by security and police forces." Other activists were also arrested at a ceremony honoring Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old Iranian lawyer and human rights advocate based in Mashhad.
Alikordi was found dead earlier this month in his office under mysterious circumstances, although provincial officials described his death as a heart attack.
"The Narges Foundation calls for the immediate and unconditional release of all detained individuals who were attending a memorial ceremony to pay their respects and demonstrate solidarity," a statement said. "Their arrest constitutes a serious violation of fundamental freedoms."
"What we witnessed today is the Islamic Republic's latest assault on the most basic human freedoms — where even mourning a slain lawyer becomes a punishable act," said Hadi Ghaemi, executive director of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran.
Footage showed Mohammadi holding a microphone and addressing the crowd without wearing a hijab, or headscarf. She urged those gathered to chant the name of Majidreza Rahnavard, a man authorities hanged from a crane in a public execution in 2022.
Hasan Hosseini, the city governor of Mashhad, said prosecutors ordered security officials to temporarily detain a number of participants at the ceremony after chants of what he called "norm-breaking" slogans, Iranian state television reported.
Hosseini described the detentions as preventive measures to protect those present from others in the crowd, but did not address claims that security forces used violence during the arrests.
Other anti-government chants could be heard in purported video footage of the event.
Supporters had warned for months that Mohammadi could be returned to prison after she was granted a furlough in December 2024 for medical reasons.
Her time outside prison was extended, possibly because activists and Western governments pressured Iran to keep her free. She remained out of custody even during the 12-day war in June between Iran and Israel.
Mohammadi had been serving a sentence of 13 years and nine months on charges of colluding against state security and spreading propaganda against the Iranian government.
She suffered multiple heart attacks in prison and underwent emergency surgery in 2022. In late 2024, her lawyer said doctors discovered a bone lesion that was feared to be cancerous and was later removed.
