Iran jailed Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi for an additional six months

Iranian authorities six months of imprisonment were added to the human rights defender Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadiaccording to a group advocating for her return.

Ms. Mohammadi was sentenced on October 19 on charges of “disobedience and resisting orders” in prison, Narges Free Coalition the statement says.

She is being held IranThe infamous Evin prison, which holds political prisoners and those with ties to the West.

After performing a political prisoner In the women’s section of the prison in August, Ms. Mohammadi staged a protest, the organization said, leading to additional prosecutions.

Mohammadi was already serving a 30-month prison term, to which another 15 months were added in January. The Iranian government did not recognize her additional sentence.

Ms. Mohammadi, 52, has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned since 1998 for her human rights activities, including promoting civil disobedience against the mandatory wearing of the hijab. In 2016, she was sentenced to 16 years for campaigning against the death penalty. She was released in 2020 and then imprisoned again in 2021. Since then, she has reported on violence and solitary confinement of women in prison.

Ms Mohammadi, seen as a beacon of hope for women-led protests, was a figurehead – despite being in prison at the time – for the protests that followed death of 22-year-old woman Mahsa Amini, in custody after she was arrested for allegedly not wearing a headscarf in a manner deemed appropriate.

The mass protests lasted for months and constituted one of the most significant and widely publicized threats to Iran’s theocratic regime in recent years.

She won Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for his “courageous struggle for freedom and human rights over three decades, and for his leadership when a new wave of protests swept through Iran.”

As the second Iranian woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Ms. Mohammadi followed in the footsteps of Shirin Ebadi, who also became the first Muslim woman to win the prize, when she was recognized for her advocacy of women’s, children’s and refugee rights. Ms. Mohammadi also became the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

The honor has angered the Iranian government after decades of trying to minimize its influence. This was condemned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran.

Mohammadi was already serving a 30-month prison term, to which another 15 months were added in January. The Iranian government did not recognize her additional sentence.

The Free Narges Coalition said Ms Mohammadi’s health had deteriorated significantly while behind bars. She suffers from a heart disease, the report says.

Iran did not comment on the latest verdict.

The Associated Press contributed to this report