Nobel Committee warns of death threats to Iranian laureate
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday called on Iranian authorities to stop threats against activist Narges Mohammadi, after she reported receiving death threats from the state.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday called on Iranian authorities to stop threats against activist Narges Mohammadi, after she reported receiving death threats from the state.
Mohammadi told committee chair Jørgen Watne Frydnes in an urgent phone call that the threats had come “both through her lawyers and through indirect channels.”
“I have been directly and indirectly threatened with ‘physical elimination’ by agents of the regime,” she said, according to the committee.
The warnings demanded that she cease all public activity inside Iran and end international advocacy and media engagement, the committee said.
“The Norwegian Nobel Committee is deeply concerned about the threats against Narges Mohammadi and, more broadly, all Iranian citizens with a critical voice,” Frydnes said. He urged Iranian authorities to respect fundamental rights, including freedom of expression.
Facing prison return, Mohammadi defies order
Mohammadi, who is currently on medical furlough from Tehran’s Evin Prison, has refused two official orders to return and said she would not go back voluntarily. “If they want me, they should pay the price and arrest me themselves — I will not go to prison quietly,” she said in a statement on July 7, describing her stance as civil disobedience.
She is serving a combined 13-year, 9-month sentence on charges including “spreading propaganda” against the Islamic Republic. While temporarily released, she has continued to speak out in interviews and online events with human rights groups.
Last week, she told ABC News the Iranian establishment was using the aftermath of its 12-day war with Israel to escalate repression against political and civil activists.
