11 February 2026

The Norwegian Nobel Committee calls on Iran to end cruel abuse and free Narges Mohammadi immediately

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is deeply appalled by credible reports detailing the brutal arrest, physical abuse, and ongoing life‑threatening mistreatment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, currently detained in Iran.

The Committee has received this information from reliable and well‑documented sources inside Iran. According to these sources, Ms. Mohammadi was violently apprehended by plain‑clothed security agents on 12 December 2025 while peacefully attending the funeral of the late human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi.

Eyewitness accounts and verified testimony from her family describe the following acts of violence, verbal abuse and threats:

• Security agents formed a “tunnel” around Ms. Mohammadi, beating her repeatedly with wooden sticks and batons.

• She was dragged across the ground by her hair, tearing sections of her scalp and causing open wounds.

• In the transport vehicle, further beatings occurred

• She was repeatedly kicked in the genitals and pelvic region, leaving her unable to sit or move without severe pain and raising serious concerns of bone fracture.

• Despite her critical state, she was subjected to prolonged solitary confinement in a windowless cell with constant artificial lighting, cold floors and inadequate bedding. Throughout the hallway, the horrific sounds of young women crying out in pain were constant, and a gallows in the exercise yard was used as a method of psychological intimidation.

After these assaults, Ms. Mohammadi was moved between different detention branches and, at one point, taken under guard to a hospital, where medical personnel documented extensive external injuries and acute cardiac distress. Nevertheless, she continues to be denied adequate, sustained medical follow‑up while being subjected to heavy interrogation and intimidation. She has fainted several times, suffers from dangerously high blood pressure and has been prevented from accessing necessary follow‑up for suspected breast tumours.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee stresses that such treatment constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment and is in blatant violation of international human rights law.

The Committee is horrified by these acts, and reiterates that Ms. Mohammadi’s imprisonment is arbitrary and unjust. Her only “offence” is the peaceful exercise of her fundamental rights – freedom of expression, association and assembly – in defence of women’s equality and human dignity.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee urgently calls upon the Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Narges Mohammadi and to guarantee her access to independent, professional medical care. Ms. Mohammadi’s ordeal is yet another grim example of the brutal repression that has followed the mass protests in Iran, where countless women and men have risked their lives to demand freedom, equality and basic human rights.Furthermore, the Committee calls on Iran to release all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience who are detained for exercising their legitimate rights, and to ensure that their basic human dignity and safety are protected.

The Committee also appeals to the international community to persist in its efforts to ensure Ms. Mohammadi’s safety and to uphold the universal principles for which she so bravely stands.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

12 December 2025

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 defender of human rights, freedom of expression and democratic participation in Iran.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee calls on the Iranian authorities to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions. The Committee stands in solidarity with Narges Mohammadi and all those in Iran who work peacefully for human rights, the rule of law, and freedom of expression.

Given the close collaboration between the regimes in Iran and Venezuela, the Norwegian Nobel Committee notes that Ms. Mohammadi is arrested just as the Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to the Venezuelan opposition leader, Maria Corina Machado.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee

4 December 2024

Iranian authorities have to permanently end Narges Mohammadi’s imprisonment

The Norwegian Nobel Committee is glad to hear about Narges Mohammadi’s release, and is hoping to get in contact with her personally very soon to congratulate her in person on her Nobel Peace Prize. 

At the same time we are deeply worried about her enduring illness and pain. 

We call upon the Iranian authorities to permanently end her imprisonment and ensure that she will get adequate medical treatment for her illnesses. 

 We have said before and repeat today, that Narges Mohammadi should never have been arrested, charged and convicted in the first place, as the charges held against her are all false and without any merit. She has committed no other “crime” than to speak out for human rights and against discrimination, oppression of women and the use of death penalty. 

We are immensely proud of her courage and commitment to the brave causes she is fighting for.

We hope that she will be reunited with her beloved family very soon.

Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.

20 June 2024

Statement by the Norwegian Nobel Committee on the harsh and unjust sentencing of Narges Mohammadi

The 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, has been sentenced to an additional year in prison for so-called “propaganda activities” against the authorities. The Norwegian Nobel Committee strongly condemns the harsh and unjust sentencing of Ms. Mohammadi by the Iranian Islamic Republic regime.

“This is a flagrant violation of human rights and a travesty of justice,” says Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee.