Iran has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to six years in prison, according to her lawyer. The court found her guilty of “gathering and collusion to commit crimes.” She was also given a two-year travel ban.
In addition, Mohammadi received another one-and-a-half-year prison sentence for propaganda activities and was ordered to live in exile for two years in Khosf, a town in eastern Iran. Under Iranian law, all prison sentences will run at the same time.
Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said the ruling is not final and can still be appealed. He added that due to Mohammadi’s serious health problems, there is hope she may be temporarily released on bail to receive medical treatment.
Mohammadi, 53, has spent much of the last decade in and out of prison because of her strong criticism of Iran’s use of the death penalty and its strict laws requiring women to follow a mandatory dress code. She has not seen her twin children, who live in Paris, since 2015.
In December 2024, she was released from prison on medical grounds after undergoing surgery to remove a tumour and a bone graft. Although the release was meant to last only three weeks, she remained free for most of 2025, during which time she continued speaking out against the government despite the risk of re-arrest.
She was arrested again on December 12 in the city of Mashhad after attending a ceremony to honour a lawyer who had died under unclear circumstances. Even while in prison, Mohammadi has continued protesting, staging demonstrations and going on hunger strikes.
Born in 1972 in Zanjan, northwest Iran, Mohammadi studied physics and worked as an engineer and journalist. She later joined the Defenders of Human Rights Center, founded by fellow Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, and currently serves as its vice president.
Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her long-standing campaign against capital punishment and human rights abuses in Iran. She was unable to attend the ceremony, and her children accepted the award on her behalf.
Human rights groups say Iran remains one of the world’s leading executioners, carrying out more executions each year than any country except China.
