Nobel Committee Fears for Iranian Laureate’s Life After Reports of Brutal Abuse in Custody

Iranian authorities have subjected Nobel Peace Prize laureate and regime dissident Narges Mohammadi to “life-threatening” abuse in detention, according to reports received by the Norwegian Nobel Committee.The committee’s chairman, Jørgen Watne Frydnes, said Wednesday that he fears for Ms. Mohammadi’s life after learning details of the brutal treatment she has endured since her December arrest.Officials beat Ms. Mohammadi with wooden sticks and batons, dragged her across the floor by her hair, and repeatedly kicked her in the pelvis and genital area during her arrest, according to Mr. Frydnes. The assault reportedly left her with open wounds on her head and unable to sit or function normally.Mr. Frydnes says that the mistreatment has continued during her detention, with authorities employing intimidation tactics and denying her adequate medical care.“The reports are, in fact, horrifying. This constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment — a blatant violation of international human rights law,” Mr. Frydnes told CNN. The Nobel Committee chairman expressed concern that Ms. Mohammadi “will not be able to live any longer” given her known heart disease and the escalating abuse.Ms. Mohammadi, 53, has spent much of the past two decades in Iran’s notorious Evin prison on charges related to her continued human rights activism. Authorities suspended her sentence in December 2024 to allow her to recover from surgery after she suffered multiple heart attacks. She was arrested again a year later while attending a memorial ceremony at Mashhad for an Iranian lawyer found dead in his office.Earlier this month, she was sentenced to more than seven years in prison on charges of “gathering and collusion” and “propaganda,” according to her lawyer.The Iranian dissident was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her efforts to advance women’s rights and abolish the death penalty. She received the honor while imprisoned.The allegations of abuse come as Iran’s Islamic Republic has intensified its crackdown on regime opponents following protests that erupted in late December. The unrest initially stemmed from the country’s deepening economic crisis but evolved into broader anti-government demonstrations fueled by cold weather, drought, air pollution, and shortages of food and gas.Human rights organizations estimate that security forces have killed more than 36,000 protesters while carrying out Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s orders to suppress dissent by “any means necessary.”

Nobel Committee Fears for Iranian Laureate’s Life After Reports of Brutal Abuse in Custody

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