https://www.civicus.org/index.php/media-resources/news/8023-joint-statem...
We Volunteer Activists and CIVICUS strongly condemn the arbitrary detention and reported ill-treatment of Nobel Peace Prize laureate and Iranian human rights defender Narges Mohammadi by Iranian authorities.
On Friday 12th of December 2025, Narges Mohammadi and 39 other activists were violently detained by security forces while attending a peaceful memorial for a human rights lawyer in the city of Mashhad. Reports indicate that she was physically assaulted during her arrest and subsequently required medical attention. Her detention raises grave concerns for her health and safety, particularly given her long-documented medical conditions and history of mistreatment in detention.
Narges Mohammadi is a leading voice for women’s rights, the abolition of the death penalty, and fundamental freedoms in Iran. She has spent years behind bars solely for exercising her rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Her continued persecution exemplifies the Iranian authorities’ relentless crackdown on civil society, human rights defenders, lawyers, journalists, and activists.
Narges Mohammadi is also featured in CIVICUS’ Stand As My Witness campaign, which highlights individuals around the world who are targeted for defending human rights and civic freedoms. Her case symbolises the courage of those who continue to speak out despite severe repression and the urgent need for international solidarity.
We call on the Iranian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Narges Mohammadi and other activists arrested with her;
- Ensure her and them physical integrity and access to urgent medical care, as well as contact with their families and legal counsels;
- End the harassment and criminalisation of human rights defenders and civil society actors;
- Comply with Iran’s international human rights obligations, including the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, due process, and protection from torture and other ill-treatment.
We stand in solidarity with Narges Mohammadi and all those activists in Iran who continue to defend human rights at great personal risk. The international community must intensify pressure on Iranian authorities to end these abuses and uphold fundamental freedoms.
