By Christiane Amanpour, Mostafa Salem, Jomana Karadsheh, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Jaya Sharma, NCS
(NCS) — Imprisoned Nobel peace laureate Narges Mohammadi was subjected to beatings and “life-threatening mistreatment” by Iranian authorities throughout her arrest and detention, the Norwegian Nobel Committee mentioned Wednesday, citing “credible reports” that its chairman described to NCS as “horrifying.”
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, informed NCS on Wednesday that Mohammadi has been subjected to extreme bodily abuse in Iran, in accordance to credible studies from contained in the nation.
Frydnes informed NCS’s chief worldwide anchor, Christiane Amanpour, that the committee is “horrified” by the accounts it has obtained concerning Mohammadi’s current arrest and detention.
According to these studies, throughout her arrest in December, she was overwhelmed repeatedly with wood sticks and batons and dragged throughout the bottom by her hair, sustaining accidents that left open wounds on her head. He mentioned she was additionally repeatedly kicked within the pelvis and genital space, leaving her in extreme ache and unable to sit or perform usually.
“The reports are, in fact, horrifying,” Frydnes informed NCS. “This constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment — a blatant violation of international human rights law.” He added that heavy interrogations and intimidation have continued throughout her detention and that she has been denied sufficient and sustained medical care.
Frydnes expressed explicit concern given Mohammadi’s recognized coronary heart illness and different medical situations, warning that her well being wants aren’t being correctly addressed.
“We definitely worry that she will not be able to live any longer,” he mentioned, citing the seriousness of her situation and the reported escalation of mistreatment in current weeks.
He linked her case to what he described as broader illegal mass killings and repression following current protests in Iran, calling her remedy one other instance of the regime’s crackdown.
Addressing what actions the Nobel Committee can take, Frydnes mentioned it’s interesting straight to Iranian authorities to uphold worldwide regulation and stop violations. He additionally referred to as on the worldwide neighborhood to enhance stress on Tehran.
“This is a call both to the regime in Iran and to the international community to put pressure on them so that Ms. Mohammadi’s safety is taken care of,” he mentioned. He urged governments involved with Iran to make her rapid and unconditional launch a part of their discussions.
Frydnes acknowledged that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to people dealing with persecution can carry dangers, doubtlessly intensifying stress in opposition to them. However, he famous that Mohammadi had taken important dangers for years earlier than receiving the prize and has remained steadfast in advocating for “women, life, freedom,” a reference to the Iranian slogan, in addition to democracy and fundamental human rights in Iran.
During her arrest in December, safety forces beat the activist repeatedly and dragged her by the hair, tearing sections of her scalp, and continued to beat her within the transport car, the Nobel Committee mentioned in a press release issued earlier Wednesday.
NCS has reached out to the Iranian Foreign Ministry and its UN mission in New York for remark.
Mohammadi, certainly one of Iran’s most outstanding human rights activists, received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 and has spent many of the previous 20 years as an inmate of Tehran’s infamous Evin jail.
In December 2024, Iranian authorities suspended her jail time period to enable her to recuperate from surgical procedure, however she was arrested once more a yr later and has remained in detention since then.
On Saturday, Mohammadi was sentenced to greater than seven further years in jail, in accordance to her lawyer.
The new sentence was imposed amid a widespread crackdown on dissent in Iran following mass protests in opposition to the regime in January which have plunged the nation into disaster.
On Sunday, Mohammadi ended a starvation strike she started in early February to protest her “unlawful detention, dire prison conditions, and the denial of contact with her family and lawyers,” in accordance to her basis, which cited studies indicating that her bodily situation was “deeply alarming.”
In a brief name on Sunday together with her lawyer Mostafa Nili, Mohammadi mentioned she was hospitalized final week however was transferred again to the detention heart in Mashhad earlier than her remedy was full.
Mohammadi has a medical historical past that features coronary heart assaults, chest ache and hypertension, in addition to spinal disc points and different diseases, in accordance to the muse, which is run by her household.
The-NCS-Wire
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