Iranian Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi Faces Additional Seven-Year Prison

Iran has given Narges Mohammadi, a well-known human rights defender and the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner, a new prison sentence of more than seven years. This is a clear sign of Iran's ongoing efforts to silence dissent. The ruling came soon after she went on a hunger strike to protest her detention. This shows that the authorities are stepping up their efforts to silence dissent after large-scale public unrest that caused thousands of deaths at the hands of security forces.

People who support the activist spread the news on Sunday, using information from her legal team. Mostafa Nili, her lawyer, confirmed the verdict on the social media site X. He said that it was given on Saturday by a Revolutionary Court in the northeastern city of Mashhad. These specialized courts are known for holding hearings where the accused have few chances to defend themselves well.

Nili says that the sentence is six years for "gathering and collusion against national security" and 18 months for "propaganda against the Islamic Republic." Mohammadi also got a two-year ban on leaving the country and a two-year order to live in Khosf, a city in South Khorasan province that is about 740 kilometers (460 miles) southeast of Tehran.

This most recent conviction comes at a very sensitive time for Iran, which is trying to work out a deal with the United States about its nuclear program. The goal is to stop U.S. President Donald Trump from threatening to start military action again. Iran's top diplomat was very uncompromising during these talks, which took place in Oman not too long ago.

Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister, told a group of diplomats in Tehran that the Islamic Republic's real strength comes from its willingness to stand up to pressure from powerful countries around the world. He used strong words to say that Iran's "atomic bomb" wasn't a real weapon but a sign that it wouldn't put up with bullying and interference from big powers. Even though President Masoud Pezeshkian called the Oman meetings a small step forward, this rhetoric shows how hard the negotiations will be.

A Lifetime of Activism and Going to Jail Again and Again

Narges Mohammadi, who is now 53, has long been one of Iran's most visible and strong supporters of women's rights, human rights, and the end of the death penalty. For more than thirty years, she has been arrested many times, spent long periods in prison, and suffered serious health problems because of her work. She was sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison for allegedly working with state security and spreading propaganda.

Mohammadi's release lasted much longer than the three weeks that were planned after he was given a medical furlough in December 2024 because of serious health problems. While she was out of prison, she continued to speak out openly, taking part in protests, talking to international media, and even staging a protest in front of Tehran's infamous Evin Prison, where she had been imprisoned herself. She was free during the tense 12-day Iran-Israel conflict in June, when U.S. strikes reportedly hit sites in Iran that were related to nuclear weapons.

She was last arrested in December while she was at a memorial for Khosrow Alikordi, a 46-year-old human rights lawyer and activist from Mashhad who had died. Witnesses and video showed Mohammadi passionately calling for justice for Alikordi and other victims of government repression.

Tensions in the region and talks about nuclear weapons

The Mohammadi case takes place in a tense geopolitical setting. Iran and the United States are having indirect talks to stop Tehran's nuclear activities and keep things from getting worse. The U.S. has sent more troops to the area by moving the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and other ships and planes to apply pressure and get ready for possible strikes if diplomacy fails.

Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israel, is coming to Washington this week. Iran is likely to be the main topic of conversation. Iranian officials have said many times that their nuclear program is not for making weapons. They point to a religious edict (fatwa) from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei that says developing nuclear weapons is wrong. But the International Atomic Energy Agency and Western governments are worried about Iran's enrichment of uranium to 60% purity, which is close to weapons-grade, and the fact that the program had military goals until around 2003.

It seems that Araghchi used the phrase "atomic bomb" as a metaphor for Iran's defiance on purpose, to show strength at home and to show that there are limits to what Iran is willing to give up in the talks. Iran has warned pilots about upcoming rocket launches in the Semnan province area, which is home to its main spaceport, as part of regular announcements related to the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution.