Photo Source: Narges Mohammadi's X account
Why Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi is facing 7.5 yrs in prison in Iran
Harvinder Kaur
Tehran (Iran), February 10, 2026: Iranian human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been handed a fresh prison term of seven and a half years, drawing renewed international attention to her decades-long struggle for civil liberties and women’s rights in her home country.
Mohammadi, 53, was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize while she was incarcerated in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison for her persistent campaigns against political repression, mandatory dress codes, and the death penalty in Iran. Her award recognised her non-violent fight for human dignity and freedom.
Her latest conviction — which includes charges of “gathering and collusion against national security” and “propaganda against the government” — was issued by a Revolutionary Court in the northeastern city of Mashhad.
The ruling also carries additional penalties including a two-year travel ban and two years of internal exile to the eastern region of Khusf after her release.
Supporters say the sentence was delivered soon after Mohammadi ended a week-long hunger strike, which she began on February 2 to protest her detention conditions. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed the verdict on social media, highlighting its severity amid Iran’s wider crackdown on dissent.
Mohammadi was rearrested in December 2025 after attending a memorial for a fellow human rights lawyer, Khosrow Alikordi, where authorities accused her of making “provocative statements” and inciting attendees to “chant anti-government slogans.”
For more than a decade she has been in and out of prison, enduring repeated trials and lengthy sentences for her activism. Her lifelong commitment to human rights has made her both a symbol of resistance in Iran and a focal point of international concern.
Human rights groups have condemned the latest ruling, warning that Mohammadi’s health — already fragile due to past medical issues and hunger strikes — may deteriorate further while in detention. The sentence also comes amid ongoing domestic protests and heightened tensions between Tehran and Western countries.