Iran Extends Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Prison Sentence

An Iranian court has sentenced Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi to more time in prison, accusing her of spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic while in prison.

Mohammadi's family said on Monday (January 15) the Revolutionary Court sentenced in December the Nobel Laureate to 15 months in prison. They added that she had boycotted the trial.

Mohammadi is currently serving a 30-month sentence in Tehran over allegedly spreading propaganda against the ruling system, disobedience in prison and defamation of authorities.

What does the latest ruling say?

According to the new sentence, Mohammadi was ordered to spend two years in exile outside Tehran, which means she will have to be moved from the notorious Evin prison where she is currently held.

The Iranian activist was also given a two-year travel ban, as well as a two-year ban on using a smartphone. Both will come into force once she's eventually freed.

Mohammadi's family said this was her fifth conviction since March 2021.

Her family condemned the verdict as akin to a "political statement" emphasizing accusations that she "repeatedly incites and encourages public and individual opinions against the Islamic regime to sow chaos and disturbances."

Who is Narges Mohammadi?

Narges Mohammadi, who has campaigned for human rights in Iran for decades, has been in and out of jail for nearly 20 years due to her tireless advocacy in defiance of the Islamic Republic's regime.

She has been arrested 13 times, and convicted five times.

The 51-year-old human rights activist has kept up her work despite the numerous threats and arrests.

In November last year, Mohammadi went on a hunger strike after she and several other inmates were denied access to health care. She also said that it was in protest against the country's mandatory headscarves for women.

Her children accepted the Nobel Peace Prize at Oslo's city hall in October on her behalf in her absence.

More proceedings against two female journalists

Meanwhile, Iran's judiciary launched new proceedings against two journalists who had only been released on Sunday on bail after spending over a year in prison.

Niloufar Hamedi and Elaheh Mohammadi have been accused of posing without the mandatory headscarf upon their prison release. They had also been held in Evin prison. Their images, smiling and holding hands outside the prison, circulated on social media.

The two female journalists were arrested for their coverage of the September 2022 death in custody of Jina Mahsa Amini, which sparked nationwide protests.