The European Union urges Iran to free Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, detained with activists at a memorial for a deceased lawyer
BRUSSELS: The European Union has called for the immediate release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi following her detention by Iranian security forces.
An EU spokesperson described Friday’s arrests in the city of Mashhad, which included at least eight other activists, as “deeply concerning”.
“The EU urges Iranian authorities to release Ms Mohammadi, taking also into account her fragile health condition, as well as all those unjustly arrested in the exercise of their freedom of expression,” said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the bloc’s diplomatic service.
Mohammadi, 53, was detained at a ceremony for lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, who was found dead in his office last week, according to her foundation.
The 2023 Peace Prize laureate had been granted temporary medical leave from prison in December 2024 due to lung problems and other health issues.
Iran’s Mehr news agency cited the Mashhad governor saying individuals at the ceremony had chanted slogans deemed contrary to public norms, but did not name those detained.
“Mohammadi, who already had to endure years in prison because of her advocacy, bravely continues to use her voice to defend human dignity and the fundamental rights of Iranians,” El Anouni added.
Alikordi was a lawyer who had defended clients in sensitive cases, including people arrested during nationwide protests in 2022.
Rights groups have called for an investigation into his death, with one Norway-based NGO stating it held “very serious suspicion of a state murder”. – AFP
