TEHRAN, Iran: Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, 52, has been sentenced to a year in prison for “propaganda against the state,” according to her lawyer Mostafa Nili. Mohammadi, a prominent activist jailed since November 2021, faced convictions related to her advocacy against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws and capital punishment.
The case intersects with journalist Dina Ghalibaf’s arrest after she accused security forces of assault, highlighting broader crackdowns on dissent in Iran. Mohammadi’s plight underscores ongoing challenges to free speech and human rights, amidst heightened enforcement of dress codes for women by Iranian authorities. Nili gave correspondence with MPs in Sweden and Norway as well as appeals to boycott parliamentary elections as justifications for her sentencing.
Human rights organizations have reported that Ghalibaf, a student and journalist, was placed under arrest after she claimed on social media that she had been sexually assaulted and placed in handcuffs by security personnel during an earlier arrest at a metro station. Since then, Ghalibaf has been set free.
On April 22, the Mizan Online website of the Iranian judiciary stated that Ghalibaf “had not been raped” and that she was facing charges for making a “false statement.” Iran’s dress code for women is being strictly enforced by the police.