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Iranian authorities have transferred Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi without prior notice to a prison in northern Iran, raising fresh concerns over her health and treatment in detention.Her family says the move, from a detention facility in Mashhad to Zanjan prison, was carried out without informing her lawyer or relatives, news agency AFP reported. The sudden relocation comes amid rising international alarm about reports of physical abuse, deteriorating medical conditions, and prolonged isolation.
Why was she transferred?
Mohammadi was arrested on December 12 in Mashhad after publicly criticising Iran’s clerical authorities during a funeral ceremony.
She was initially held at a detention facility run by the intelligence ministry.According to her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in Paris, the transfer to Zanjan prison was intended to “exile and displace” her. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said she was only able to reveal details of the move days later during a brief phone call.The transfer follows:
- A nearly week-long hunger strike protesting prison conditions
- Hospitalisation due to health complications
- Reports of physical abuse during arrest and interrogation
Her lawyer has alleged she suffered severe blows to the head, resulting in dizziness, double vision, and blurred eyesight.
Bruises and marks of assault were reportedly still visible.
New prison sentence and internal exile
In February 2026, Mohammadi was sentenced to more than seven years in prison:
- Six years for “gathering and collusion to commit crimes”
- One-and-a-half years for propaganda activities
- Two years of internal exile to Khosf in South Khorasan province
- A two-year ban on leaving the country
Her legal team says the verdict is not final and may be appealed. They have expressed hope she could be temporarily released on bail for medical treatment.
Growing health concerns
Health worries have followed Mohammadi for years. In November 2024, she underwent complex surgery in Iran in which part of a bone in her right leg was removed over cancer fears.
Despite the seriousness of the procedure, she was reportedly returned to prison immediately afterward.Earlier this year, she launched another hunger strike to protest restrictions on contacting her family and lawyers. Her foundation described her physical condition as “deeply alarming.”
Who is Narges Mohammadi?
Born April 21, 1972, in Zanjan, Mohammadi is one of Iran’s most prominent human rights activists. She serves as deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, an organization co-founded by Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi.Over more than two decades, she has campaigned against:
- Iran’s use of the death penalty
- Solitary confinement in prisons
- Mandatory hijab laws for women
- Restrictions on political freedoms
She became a leading voice during unrest following the 2022 death of Jina Mahsa Amini, which triggered nationwide protests.
Nobel Peace Prize recognition
In October 2023, while imprisoned, 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.”The Norwegian Nobel Committee later said it was “deeply appalled” by reports of mistreatment during her detention.
Iran’s foreign ministry condemned the award.
A life marked by repeated imprisonment
Mohammadi has been repeatedly arrested and jailed over the past 25 years. In 2016, she was sentenced to 16 years in prison on charges related to her activism. Though released in 2020, she was re-arrested in 2021 and has since continued reporting alleged abuse of detained women from inside prison.At 53, she has become both a symbol of resistance inside Iran and a globally recognised advocate for women’s rights and human dignity, even as she remains behind bars.Her latest transfer to Zanjan prison, the city where she was born, underscores the ongoing tensions between Iranian authorities and one of the country’s most internationally visible critics.
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