Unlock the Editor\u2019s Digest for free<\/p>\n
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.<\/p>\n
Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian political activist and Nobel Peace laureate, has been arrested in the north-eastern city of Mashhad, after a memorial ceremony for a local lawyer escalated into tension.<\/p>\n
Mohammadi<\/a> was detained while attending a memorial service for Khosrow Alikordi, a lawyer who has represented political dissidents.<\/p>\n Alikordi was found dead at his office last week. His family raised suspicions about what had happened, but officials released CCTV footage showing him moments before he died at his office, saying forensic evidence indicated he had suffered a heart attack.<\/p>\n Hasan Hosseini, Mashhad\u2019s governor, confirmed Mohammadi had been arrested along with several other political activists. He told local media the \u201ctemporary detention\u201d had been carried out by order of the prosecutor\u2019s office.<\/p>\n The governor said a number of people had chanted \u201cprovocative\u201d slogans outside the mosque where the memorial service was held, adding that several individuals were being \u201cheld under protection, mostly for their own safety\u201d.<\/p>\n Mizan news agency, affiliated with the Iranian judiciary, reported a police commander and an officer had been stabbed and injured as a group of people engaged in \u201cdisorderly and unlawful behaviour\u201d on the sidelines of the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mizan said security forces intervened, resulting in several participants being arrested, including \u201cindividuals with security-related convictions\u201d, an apparent reference to Mohammadi and other activists.<\/p>\n Social media footage purported to show Mohammadi addressing a crowd of people who chanted anti-regime slogans.<\/p>\n Reacting to the laureate\u2019s detention, the Norwegian Nobel Committee called on the authorities to \u201cimmediately clarify Mohammadi\u2019s whereabouts, ensure her safety and integrity, and to release her without conditions\u201d.<\/p>\n Reporters without Borders, a member of The Free Narges Coalition, also condemned the \u201cviolent arrests\u201d of Mohammadi and other \u201cjournalists and human rights defenders\u201d, adding: \u201cThey must be liberated at once.\u201d<\/p>\n Mohammadi has been arrested and jailed multiple times on charges that include colluding against national security and spreading propaganda against the Islamic republic<\/a>. She has amassed jail terms of more than 30 years and has served most of the years since 2009 in prison.<\/p>\n Her sentence was suspended in December 2024 when she was released on medical leave. Since then she has travelled across the country, delivering speeches and giving interviews to foreign media. She has continued her activism despite convictions, campaigning for women\u2019s rights and against executions.<\/p>\n