Tehran - Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner, announced she faces a new trial after accusing security forces of sexual assaults against women. In a message from Evin prison, Mohammadi revealed the trial pertains to an audio post where she condemned the Iranian regime’s actions against women.
Mohammadi, who has already spent over 12 years in prison due to multiple convictions, said in her message that this is the fourth time in as many years she has been brought to court for protesting and disclosing abuses by the regime’s security forces. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, stated that the court would address the new charges of "spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic" on Sunday.
There has been no official comment on the case from Iranian authorities.
In her message, posted on the Narges Foundation website, the 52-year-old Nobel laureate stated she is being tried for discussing the physical mistreatment of journalist and student Dina Ghalaibaf, who was reportedly detained after accusing security forces of handcuffing and physically assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station. Ghalaibaf has since been released.
Mohammadi is demanding a public trial with the presence of independent journalists, human rights activists, women’s rights activists, and her lawyers. She emphasized the need for witnesses and their lawyers to attend with guarantees of their physical, mental, and legal safety, allowing them to openly recount their experiences.
A tireless campaigner for women's rights in Iran, Mohammadi has faced imprisonment for nearly two decades due to her activism. Her family reports that her sentences also include 154 lashes, two years of exile, and various social and political restrictions. She has not seen her husband and children, who live in Paris, for several years.
Despite numerous threats and arrests, Mohammadi continues her work against the mandatory headscarf. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to combat the oppression of women in Iran. Her teenage children accepted the prize in Oslo and read her speech, which had been smuggled out of prison.
"I write this message from behind the high, cold walls of a prison. The Iranian people, with perseverance, will overcome repression and authoritarianism," Mohammadi said. She highlighted the ongoing civil resistance, alluding to the protests that erupted in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab "improperly."
Recently, Iranian authorities have intensified their crackdown to enforce a strict Islamic dress code on women, using video surveillance to arrest those who disobey.