Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi says she was violently overwhelmed and arrested by safety forces in Iran’s northeastern metropolis of Mashhad and later accused of “cooperation with the State of Israel,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate’s first feedback since she was detained final week.
In an account relayed by her household of a quick cellphone name she made after a number of days with out contact, Mohammadi stated in a put up on a social media account operated by her basis that she endured extreme bodily abuse throughout her arrest and detention.
Mohammadi stated she “was attacked with extreme and steady blows to the pinnacle and neck with a baton after which violently arrested.”
At the identical time as she was overwhelmed, she stated she was threatened and instructed: “We will make your mom mourn for you.”
Mohammadi’s household stated she was not in good bodily situation in the course of the name and urged her attorneys to file a right away formal grievance in opposition to the safety company liable for her arrest.
The 53-year-old, who was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize for her greater than 20 years of preventing for girls’s rights in Iran, had traveled to Mashhad on December 11 to attend a memorial marking the seventh day because the loss of life of Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer and human rights activist whose loss of life has sparked controversy and allegations of foul play.
Mashhad Prosecutor Hassan Hematifar stated on December 13 that 39 individuals had been arrested in the course of the memorial ceremony and that every one stay in custody.
He stated the gathering had been “organized and managed” by people linked to Alikordi, together with his brother, Javad Alikordi, who was additionally arrested.
Witnesses and members of the family have stated that safety forces disrupted the occasion, resulting in clashes and violence.
Taghi Rahmani, Mohammadi’s husband, instructed RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that she has additionally been accused of “main” the gathering and steering it towards an anti-establishment rally. He stated it was troubling that authorities had been taking days to formally cost her, arguing that the delay recommended they had been “planning” one thing.
Mohammadi stated the beatings had been so extreme that she was taken twice to hospital emergency wards. She stated she doesn’t know which safety physique is at the moment detaining her.
According to her account, she was accused throughout and after her arrest of “cooperation with the State of Israel,” a cost incessantly utilized by Iranian authorities in opposition to political activists and dissidents.
Citing eyewitness accounts, the household stated round 15 people took half within the assault on Mohammadi. Some reportedly pulled her hair, whereas others beat her with batons and golf equipment. All had been stated to be wearing plain garments.
The household additionally stated tear fuel was used in the course of the ceremony.
Mohammadi has spent a lot of the previous decade behind bars.
She was serving a mixed sentence of 13 years and 9 months earlier than being launched on medical grounds in early December 2024. At the time of her new arrest, she was reportedly nonetheless present process remedy for an undisclosed ailment.
Since her launch, Mohammadi had resumed her human rights work, assembly with civil activists throughout Iran and collaborating in worldwide discussions, together with digital conferences with international audiences.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee has condemned Mohammadi’s “brutal arrest” and referred to as on Iranian authorities “to instantly make clear Mohammadi’s whereabouts, guarantee her security and integrity, and to launch her with out situations.”
Human rights activists Sepideh Gholian and Pouran Nazemi had been additionally reportedly overwhelmed in the course of the clashes.
Several different detainees, together with Alieh Motalebzadeh, Pouran Nazemi, and Hasti Amiri, have since made temporary cellphone calls to their households.
Ghazal Abdollahi, the daughter of Alieh Motalebzadeh, stated on X that her mom instructed her she had initially been held by the Intelligence Organization of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps earlier than being transferred to the Intelligence Ministry’s Mashhad workplace.
Abdollahi warned that her mom’s well being is at critical danger, noting that Motalebzadeh is a breast most cancers survivor who has undergone surgical procedure, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy and requires common medicine and specialised care. She stated her mom had been denied entry to important remedy whereas in detention.
The crackdown adopted the loss of life of Alikordi, who had beforehand been imprisoned and lately represented political prisoners and households in search of justice.
Alikordi died on December 5 in his workplace in Mashhad. Iranian authorities have stated the reason for loss of life was a coronary heart assault, however his household and supporters have questioned the official clarification.
His brother, Javad Alikordi, a lawyer at the moment serving a sentence below digital monitoring, has described the loss of life as suspicious, citing the elimination of surveillance cameras from the workplace.
Iranian authorities have launched video of what they are saying exhibits Alikordi collapsing to the bottom in his workplace. They say the grainy footage backs up their declare. Alikordi’s household and supporters have questioned the veracity of the video.
