Mohammadi fears for life: Iran threatens Nobel winner over activism; committee urges protection

Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work supporting women’s rights and freedom of expression in Iran, has received death threats from the regime, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Friday.

Mohammadi, 53, has spent several years in jail and was recently released on temporary medical leave from Tehran’s Evin prison. Her legal team has repeatedly warned that she could be sent back to prison at any time.

In a statement, committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes said he received an “urgent phone call” from Mohammadi, in which she said her life was now at risk. “The clear message, in her own words, is that ‘I have been directly and indirectly threatened with physical elimination by agents of the regime’,” he said.

According to the committee, Iranian authorities have warned Mohammadi to stop all public and international activities — including media interviews and human rights advocacy — or face serious consequences. The committee said these threats show her life is in danger if she continues to speak out.

It also expressed deep concern not just for Mohammadi, but for all Iranians who speak critically of the government. It urged Tehran to protect both their safety and their right to free expression.

Mohammadi has been jailed multiple times for protesting Iran’s death penalty laws and its strict dress code for women. She was in prison when she won the Nobel Prize, and her children accepted the award on her behalf.

She has for decades campaigned on the most sensitive issues in the Islamic republic, opposing pillars of the clerical system including capital punishment and the obligatory hijab, and defiantly refusing to give up her campaigning even behind bars.