Iran has arrested Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi.

ছবিঃ সংগৃহীত

NEWS DESK: Iran's security forces on Friday (December 12) arrested Narges Mohammadi, the winner of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, along with eight of her followers. The Norwegian Nobel Committee condemned the arrests as a "brutal" action in response, according to the news agency AFP.

Narges Mohammadi, who was temporarily released from an Iranian prison in December 2024, was arrested with her eight associates at an event commemorating the lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week. This information was shared by Mohammadi's established foundation on the social media platform X.

The memorial service was being held in the eastern Iranian city of Mashhad. Among those present with Narges Mohammadi at the time of her arrest was her colleague Sepideh Gholian, who had previously been imprisoned with Narges in Tehran's Evin Prison.

In a statement published on X, Narges's foundation stated that they were honoring the memory of Khosrow Alikordi at a memorial service. It further said that the arrests constitute a grave violation of fundamental human rights and individual liberties.

Hamid Mohammadi, Narges's brother, told AFP from Oslo that Narges Mohammadi was injured on the leg during the arrest and was dragged out by her hair.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed concern over the news of Narges Mohammadi's arrest, stating that the organization is deeply worried and calls on the Iranian government to quickly clarify the Nobel laureate's location.

The arrest occurred just two days after an event held for Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, the winner of the 2025 Nobel Prize, who is a staunch critic of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, a known ally of Tehran.

Meanwhile, inside Iran, the Mehr news agency quoted Mashhad Governor Hassan Hosseini as saying that the individuals who came to the event were arrested for chanting "slogans contrary to public norms," but the names of those arrested were not mentioned.