Current Cases

Background

Narges Mohammadi (b. April 21, 1972) is a prominent journalist and human rights defender, who has been repeatedly targeted by the Iranian authorities since 2009. Over the last two decades, she has faced repeated legal harassment for her work, including several criminal convictions and travel bans. She is currently serving a 16-year sentence in Evin Prison.

Mohammadi is the author of White Torture, a two-volume book that details the mistreatment of prisoners in Iran. As deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), she has campaigned extensively against capital punishment in Iran. In September 2008, she was elected President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights. In 2023, Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

In 2010, she was arrested for her work with the DHRC. She was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 11 years in prison (later reduced to 6 years). After being released on bail in 2012, she faced further charges in 2014 after a widely publicized speech criticizing the mistreatment of inmates at Evin prison.

In May 2015, Mohammadi was arrested and sentenced to 16 years in prison for spreading propaganda against the system, gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security, and membership in an illegal organization whose aim is to harm national security.

Mohammadi suffers from a neurological disorder that can result in seizures, temporary partial paralysis, and pulmonary embolism. Concerns for her health intensified following reports that she suffered several seizures in August and October 2015.

Mohammadi the wife of prominent journalist and activist Taghi Rahmani, who himself has spent a total of 17 years in prison.