Iranian authorities have extended the prison sentence of jailed human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi by an additional seven and a half years, according to her attorney, as the regime intensifies its crackdown on dissent following recent nationwide protests.
Mohammadi’s lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said the new ruling includes six years for charges of “gathering and collusion” and an additional year and a half for alleged propaganda activities. The court also imposed a two-year travel ban and ordered that she serve two years of internal exile, restricting her to the city of Khosf once she is eventually released.
The 53-year-old activist received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 in recognition of her advocacy for women’s rights and broader civil liberties in Iran. At the time of the award, she was already imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin Prison, where she has spent much of the past decade due to repeated arrests tied to her activism.
Mohammadi has long been associated with the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that emerged in 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, a Kurdish woman who died in custody after being detained by Iran’s morality police over alleged violations of the country’s mandatory headscarf laws. Despite being incarcerated, Mohammadi remained a prominent voice encouraging protest and reform.
Her health has been a major concern for international advocacy groups. In late 2024, she was granted a temporary medical furlough due to serious medical complications, including reports that she may have developed bone cancer and had previously suffered heart issues that required emergency surgery. Human rights organizations called for her release to be made permanent.
Instead, she was detained again in December 2025 while attending a memorial service for a fellow human rights lawyer. Supporters say she was taken into custody by plainclothes security agents and beaten during the arrest. Iranian authorities have accused her of making provocative remarks related to the death of the lawyer, though some activists dispute the official explanation.
Shortly before the new sentence was issued, Mohammadi undertook a hunger strike to protest her detention. Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, said she was denied legal representation during the latest proceedings and refused to participate in what she described as an illegitimate trial.
With the additional sentence, Mohammadi now faces more than two decades behind bars stemming from multiple convictions related to her activism and criticism of the Iranian government.
