UN independent human rights experts on Wednesday called for the immediate release of Narges Mohammadi, an imprisoned Iranian human rights activist who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her unwavering commitment to women’s rights in the country.

Ms. Mohammadi has been arrested multiple times, the first arrest being in 2011 for her advocacy for incarcerated human rights activists and their families. In 2015, she was rearrested and sentenced to additional years.

She is currently serving a lengthy jail sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison for “spreading anti-State propaganda”, according to a news release issued by the UN Human Rights Council-appointed Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

“We are dismayed that Iranian authorities continue to deprive Ms. Mohammadi of her liberty, despite concerns about her deteriorating health in detention, against the advice of medical professionals, in violation of their obligations under international human rights law,” said the Working Group.

Repeated calls for release

The experts had previously determined that Ms. Mohammadi’s detention is arbitrary and called for her immediate release, compensation and reparations. 

They stressed that her arrest and detention constituted a violation of international law on the grounds of discrimination on the basis of her status as a human rights defender.

“It is deeply regrettable that despite calls by the UN and the international community, Iranian authorities continue to criminalize Narges Mohammadi for her work in defence of human rights,” they said.

The Working Group

The UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention is composed of five independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council. The Working Group is mandated to investigate cases of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily or inconsistently with the international standards set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), or the international legal instruments accepted by the States concerned.

They serve in their individual capacity, are not UN staff and do not receive a salary.

11 October 2023 – UN News