Oslo: The Norwegian Nobel Committee has called for the immediate release of Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi after she was arrested in what it described as a brutal operation.
Mohammadi, a prominent campaigner for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for more than three decades of activism.
Mohammadi has spent long periods in detention over the years on charges linked to her criticism of the Islamic Republic. She was last released from Tehran’s Evin Prison late in 2023 after her sentence was suspended, allowing her to receive medical treatment.
Her renewed arrest has now triggered sharp concern from the committee, which urged Iranian authorities to disclose her location, guarantee her safety, and free her without conditions.
Norwegian Nobel Committee Condemns the Brutal Arrest of Narges Mohammadi
The Norwegian Nobel Committee is deeply concerned by today’s brutal arrest of Narges Mohammadi alongside a number of other activists. Ms. Mohammadi – the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate – is a staunch…
— Narges Mohammadi | نرگس محمدی (@nargesfnd) December 12, 2025
The development comes as this year’s Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, arrived in Norway to receive her award. The committee noted the timing of Mohammadi’s detention and pointed to the close ties between the governments of Iran and Venezuela, suggesting the arrest underscored a coordinated pattern of pressure against dissidents.
Mohammadi remains one of Iran’s most recognised voices for civil liberties, repeatedly targeted for her outspoken advocacy despite severe personal cost. The committee said her latest detention highlights the ongoing repression facing activists inside the country and renewed its call for her full and unconditional freedom.
