PEN Norway Condemns New Sentence for Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi
PEN Norway joins the Free Narges Coalition in condemning the additional six-month prison sentence imposed on detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
According to media reports, and information from the Narges Coalition, Mohammadi was sentenced on 19 October 2024 to an additional six months on the charge of “disobeying and resisting orders” by Branch 2 of Qods Criminal Court. This charge was brought against her and four other inmates after their protest against the execution of a fellow protester was met with violent suppression by riot police in Evin Prison’s women’s ward on 6 August.
“We strongly support the demand for her immediate and unconditional release and again calls for her to receive urgent access to essential medical treatment, which was once more denied this week,” said PEN Norway in a statement.
Mohammadi’s current period of incarceration began in November 2021, following her sentencing in May 2021. Cumulatively, with additional cases brought against her in January and October 2022, as well as in January, June, and October 2024, she has now been sentenced to 13 years and nine months in prison, along with 154 lashes on trumped-up charges, including “propaganda against the state” and “acting against national security.”
Moreover, Mohammadi’s health has deteriorated severely during her prolonged incarceration, and reports indicate she is being denied medical care. She has also been completely cut off from contact with her family and legal counsel. Her meetings with her lawyer have been denied since October 2022 due to her refusal to wear a headscarf, and she has been unable to make phone contact with relatives in Iran since 29 November 2023.
PEN Norway condemns the Iranian authorities’ use of medical care denial as a means of punishing dissent and call on the Iranian authorities to drop the baseless charges against Narges Mohammadi, especially given her deteriorating health, and to ensure she receives proper medical treatment.
