Narges Mohammadi faces new charges after ending hunger strike
On 12 November 2023, Narges Mohammdi announced that she had been summoned to the Evin court for a hearing on new charges, but that she had been banned from attending on account of refusing to wear her hijab as instructed.
On 6 November 2023, the woman human rights defender Narges Mohammadi started a hunger strike in protest against delay and neglect of medical care for sick prisoners, as well as making "mandatory hijab" a condition for the transfer of the women prisoners to medical facilities.
On 4 August 2023, woman human rights defender Narges Mohammadi was handed an additional one-year prison sentence by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on the charge of “propaganda activities” based on her public communications to Javaid Rahman, the United Nations Special Rappoteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and BBC World, exposing sexual violence against women prisoners.
On 9 October 2022, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced Narges Mohammadi in absentia to 15 months in prison under the charge of “propaganda against state” for inviting people to support the justice-seeking mothers and take part in anti-war protests. Additionally, the woman human rights was subjected to complementary punishments such as the fact that she should introduce herself to “The Law Enforcement Command of Islamic Republic of Iran” every month for two years once the prison sentence has been served, two years ban from membership in political parties, cleaning up deserted neighbourhood from garbage for three months, and four hours per day in coordination withof the municipality of the region.
Narges Mohammadi is Deputy Director of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC). She was elected as President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights. She has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and was awarded the Per Anger Prize by the Swedish government for her human rights work in 2011. She is the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her "fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all."
On 12 November 2023, Narges Mohammdi announced that she had been summoned to the Evin court for a hearing on new charges, but that she had been banned from attending on account of refusing to wear her hijab as instructed.
Narges Mohammadi is Deputy Director of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC). She was elected as President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights. She has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and was awarded the Per Anger Prize by the Swedish government for her human rights work in 2011. She is the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate for her "fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all."
On 12 November 2023, Narges Mohammdi informed her family and her lawyer via a telephone call from Evin prison that she had been summoned to the Evin court for a hearing on new charges. However, she was prohibited by the prosecutor from leaving the women’s ward of Evin prison unless she wore the mandatory hijab, an instruction which she refused to adhere to. Therefore, because she has not been able to attend the court hearing, neither the woman human rights defender nor her lawyer are aware of the nature of the charges against her. This is the seventh time that Narges Mohammadi has faced new charges while in detention since September 2022.
On 8 November 2023, the woman human rights defender ended her hunger strike after she was transferred to the hospital for her medical check-ups that she had refused to attend if ordered to wear a hijab, in accordance with the country’s mandatory veiling rules. On 6 November 2023, the woman human rights defender had started a hunger strike in protest against delayed and neglectful medical care for sick prisoners, as well as the rule which makes wearing the "mandatory hijab" a condition for the transfer of the women prisoners to medical facilities. The woman human rights defender was transferred back to Evin prison afterwards.
Narges Mohammadi has been summoned several times by Branches 1, 2 and 3 of Evin prison court in April and May and June 2023. However, in all of these instances, she has refused to appear, or permit her lawyers to attend on her behalf, as she does not recognise the revolutionary courts to be independent judicial bodies. Most recently, on 11 June 2023, Narges Mohammadi was summoned to appear before Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. According to a notification from the court, Narges Mohammadi should have appeared to defend herself against an indictment issued by an investigator from Branch 2 of the Evin prison court. The woman human rights defender has refused to appear before the court stating that, since she does not recognise the revolutionary court as a competent judicial body, she will not comply with the country’s discriminatory obligatory veiling rules for women, and that the new charges against her are due to her legitimate human rights work.
Previously on 22 May 2023, the woman human rights defender was summoned by Branch 3 of Evin prison court to attend a hearing on a new charge. As her lawyer was not granted access to her file, the nature of these charges remains unknown. This was the second time in less than two months that she was summoned to a hearing on new charges. On 25 April 2023, the woman human rights defender was also summoned by Branch 2 of Evin prison court for a hearing on another set of trumped-up charges. These charges were issued because of her ongoing human rights work from inside the prison, including publishing several statements on the violations of human rights since the beginning of the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran in September 2022.
Front Line Defenders condemns the new charges against Narges Mohammadi and urges Iranian authorities to drop them immediately and unconditionally as it believes they amount to further targeting of the woman human rights defender for her work in defence of human rights.
On 6 November 2023, the woman human rights defender Narges Mohammadi started a hunger strike in protest against delay and neglect of medical care for sick prisoners, as well as making "mandatory hijab" a condition for the transfer of the women prisoners to medical facilities.
Previously on 30 October 2023 Narges Mohammadi was banned from transfer from Evin prison to medical facilities where CT scanning and echocardiography were scheduled for her. The grounds on which the woman human rights defender was denied medical care was not wearing the mandatory head scarf. The access of the woman human defender to essential medical care had been postponed previously on 9 September 2023 on the same ground.
On 19 February 2022 Narges Mohammadi was hospitalised with a 75% blockage of one of her coronary arteries and she underwent emergency surgery. She had contracted COVID-19 while under detention several times including in July 2020 when was held in Zanjan prison. The woman human rights defender has not been receiving adequate medical treatment during her long imprisonment terms several times.
The woman human rights defender has been unjustly imprisoned for the most part of the last five years, and had received in January 2022 another long sentence of eight years early this year while being held in solitary confinement for over two months, predominantly incommunicado. Front Line Defenders is particularly concerned given the vulnerable health condition of the woman human rights defender, her cardiac problems and the living conditions for detainees in the Evin prison, which are known to be highly pathogenic. Front Line Defenders believes that the treatment of Narges Mohammadi in Evin prison, and the denial and delay of access to medical furlough and necessary medication, is solely due to her peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights, including while in detention in Iran.
On 4 August 2023, woman human rights defender Narges Mohammadi was handed an additional one-year prison sentence by Branch 29 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court on the charge of “propaganda activities” based on her public communications to Javaid Rahman, the United Nations Special Rappoteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and BBC World, exposing sexual violence against women prisoners.
While this additional sentence is one of the five recent court cases opened against the woman human rights defender because of her human rights work, Narges Mohammadi is currently serving multiple prison sentences in Evin prison which have been issued in less than two years. These amount to a total of eleven years and eleven months in prison, in addition to 154 lashes, a two-year travel ban, two fines, a two-year ban from membership in political or social groups and community service. If this sentence is confirmed by the court of appeals, the woman human rights defender will have to serve a total of ten years and nine months in prison after the application of article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code.
On 9 October 2022, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced Narges Mohammadi in absentia to 15 months in prison under the charge of “propaganda against state” for inviting people to support the justice-seeking mothers and take part in anti-war protests. Additionally, the woman human rights was subjected to complementary punishments such as the fact that she should introduce herself to “The Law Enforcement Command of Islamic Republic of Iran” every month for two years once the prison sentence has been served, two years ban from membership in political parties, cleaning up deserted neighbourhood from garbage for three months, and four hours per day in coordination with the municipality of the region.
Narges Mohammadi is Deputy Director of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC). She was elected as President of the Executive Committee of the National Council of Peace in Iran, a broad coalition against war and for the promotion of human rights. She has campaigned for the abolition of the death penalty in Iran, and was awarded the Per Anger Prize by the Swedish government for her human rights work in 2011.
This is the third time that the woman human rights defender is being sentenced to prison sentences, amounting to eleven years and eleven months in less than two years. Previously, on 25 January 2022, Branch 26 of Tehran Revolutionary Court had sentenced the woman human rights defender on the charge of “collusion against state security” to eight years and two months in prison, 74 lashes, a two year ban from accessing telecommunications tools and social media, two years of exile outside of Tehran, and a two year ban on membership in political groups. In another case dating back to 22 May 2021, she was informed that Branch 1177 of the Criminal Court II of Quds Judicial Complex had sentenced her to 30 months in prison, 80 lashes and two fines. One of the fines amounts to 100 million IRR, while the second is to be announced by the Iranian Organization of Prisons. The woman human rights defender was charged with “propaganda activity against the state” for publishing statements against death penalty, staging a sit-in the Evin prison’s bureau, disobeying the prison’s authorities to end the sit-in, breaking the windows and allegedly physical assaulting the prison’s authorities.
The woman human rights defender has been unjustly imprisoned for the most part of the last six years, and had received another long sentence of eight years early this year while being held in solitary confinement for over two months, predominantly incommunicado. Front Line Defenders is particularly concerned given the vulnerable health condition of the woman human rights defender, as she suffers from cardiac problems. It also believes that the new sentence, her ill-treatment and prison conditions, and the denial and delay of access to medical furlough and necessary medication is solely due to her peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights. Front Line Defenders urges the Iranian authorities to release Narges Mohammadi and all the women human rights defenders who have been unjustly imprisoned for their human rights work in Iran.
