EU, Nobel Committee, rights groups call for release of Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran

cross-posted from: https://scribe.disroot.org/post/6125392

International human rights groups have condemned the re-arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi in Iran, with the Nobel committee calling on Iranian authorities to immediately clarify her whereabouts.

Mohammadi's French lawyer, Chirine Ardakani, said on X that the human rights activist was arrested on Friday after denouncing the suspicious death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi at his memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

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Mashhad prosecutor Hasan Hematifar told reporters she [Mohammadi] and Alikordi's brother had made provocative remarks at the event and encouraged those present "to chant 'norm‑breaking' slogans" and disturb the peace, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

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The Norwegian Nobel Committee called on Iranian authorities "to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions."

The European Union also called for Mohammadi's release. "The EU urges Iranian authorities to release Ms Mohammadi, taking also into account her fragile health condition, as well as all those unjustly arrested in the exercise of their freedom of expression," an EU spokesperson said on Saturday.

A video purportedly showing Mohammadi, 53, without the mandatory veil, standing on a car with a microphone and chanting "Long Live Iran" in front of a crowd, has gone viral on social media. Ardakani said Mohammadi was beaten before her arrest.

Reporters Without Borders said four journalists and other participants were also arrested at the memorial for human rights lawyer Alikordi, who was found dead in his office on December 5.

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