(LONDON) — More than a thousand political, social, and cultural activists signed a petition condemning the “violent arrest” of the Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi and others allegedly by Iranian security forces in the northwestern city of Mashhad earlier this month.
Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023, was arrested as she attended a memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer who had been found dead in his office.
Dozens of other attendees were also detained, according to a statement released by Mohammadi’s foundation. The ceremony had turned into a scene of protest against the regime as videos show some of the attendees shouted slogans, including “death to the dictator” and “long live Iran.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has served as the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader since 1989. Mohammadi has been of prominent and vocal critics of Khamenei’s policies, accusing the regime of human rights abuses.
Mohammadi, who had campaigned against sharia-based laws including the mandatory hijab and executions, had been imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison until December 2024. She was released on medical leave, her lawyer said at the time.
Among those who were arrested this month were political activists including Sepideh Gholian, Hasti Amiri, Pouran Nazemi, Aliyeh Motallebzadeh — who have been arrested, prosecuted or jailed for their activism before — and Javad Alikordi, a brother of the deceased lawyer.
The day after Mohammadi and others were arrested, Taghi Rahmani, Mohammadi’s husband, said in a post on his X account that “apparently” the intelligence forces of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps” has been behind the arrests.
Alikordi who used to advocate the cases of families of protesters in Iran before his death, had been handed one year in prison and two years of exile last year due to his advocacy of political prisoners. Despite official announcements indicating that his death was due to a heart attack, some attorneys and activists suggested possible Islamic Republic involvement.
The petition’s signatories asked for immediate release of those arrested.
“We condemn the violent arrest and the beating of our loved ones present at the memorial… Holding memorial and mourning ceremonies for the deceased is an inseparable part of fundamental human and civil rights,” the petition reads.
“We call for the immediate and unconditional release of all detainees and emphasize their fundamental right to access phone calls, family visits, independent legal counsel, and medical care,” it continued.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee also called on the Iranian authorities “to immediately clarify Mohammadi’s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions,” following her arrest.
Clarifying the importance of the petition on the release of Mohammadi and other arrestees, Mina Akbari, Iranian documentary filmmaker and activist wrote in a post on her Instagram account that it is not only a call on the release of those arrested, but its importance is also “in the composition of its signatories.”
“This statement is not just a protest against an arrest, but a demonstration of unprecedented unity in the heart of the deep political and intellectual divisions in Iran today,” Akbari said.
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