Security forces detained Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi and several other activists during a memorial ceremony in the northeastern city of Mashhad, the local governor told state media.
The detentions occurred amid a heated gathering of mourners at a memorial service for Khosrow Alikordi, a prominent human rights lawyer whose recent death has drawn public anger and suspicion among his supporters of foul play.
Alikordi, a former political prisoner who represented jailed protesters, was found dead under unclear circumstances in his office in Mashhad last week, with fellow lawyers and activists questioning the official account of cardiac arrest and alleging possible involvement by security forces.
"Khosrow Alikardi was devoted to freedom and justice, but he never bowed his head to oppression," Narges told attendees in a speech.
"The people are standing here. We are all sisters and brothers. We are all Iranians. With one voice, in solidarity and unity, we say: by the blood of our fallen comrades, we will stand firm until the end," she said.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Friday condemned her arrest and called on Tehran to "specify Mohammadi’s place of detention, ensure her safety and well-being and release her unconditionally."
Mohammadi, according to videos circulated online, appeared to be heckled off stage by some attendees, who chanted slogans against the Islamic authorities and in favor of the country's pre-1979 ousted monarchy.
Her foundation posted online that activists Sepideh Qolian, Pouran Nazemi, Hasti Amiri and Aliyeh Motalebzadeh were also arrested, among others.
Mashhad governor Hassan Hosseini told state media that the arrests were made for the detainees' safety as the crowd turned unruly.
"This was done to protect them, because in such circumstances other groups might also take confrontational action. For this reason, the prosecutor’s office intervened to ensure that no problems would arise for these individuals," he told state media.
Javad Alikordi, the lawyer’s brother, said in an audio message that security forces beat Mohammadi and Gholian before taking them away. He said detainees were transferred to a detention facility linked to the intelligence arm of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in Mashhad.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on the sidelines of the International Forum for Peace and Trust in the capital Ashgabat, an unusual gathering in one of the world’s most closed states.
Putin said Moscow and Tehran remain in close contact on major international issues, including Iran’s nuclear program.
“We are in close contact on all key international issues, including all matters related to the Iranian nuclear program. You know our position: we support Iran at the UN,” Putin said, adding that the foreign ministers of the two countries are “in constant contact.”
He said Russia and Iran are negotiating cooperation in the gas and electricity sectors and will work together on energy transmission projects.
“We are holding talks in the gas and power sectors, and cooperation in energy transfer will take shape,” he said.
He added that relations between the two countries are expanding steadily. “Our relations are developing day by day,” Putin said, pointing to plans to advance the North–South transport corridor linking Russia to South Asia via Iran.
Putin also cited plans to expand cooperation at Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power plant, which was built by Russia.
Broader strategic ties
The meeting comes as Tehran and Moscow deepen strategic cooperation under Western sanctions. Earlier this month, the two countries signed a new agreement covering artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, expanding collaboration in digital infrastructure, data transit and e-government.
Iran and Russia have also worked closely on space projects. Tehran has said three Iranian satellites will be launched aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket later this month, following earlier launches carried out with Russian support.
It was not immediately possible for Iran International to verify his account.
Crackdown
Human Rights Watch decried the arrests and said they come "amid an intensified and full-fledged crackdown on dissent."
"Authorities must immediately and unconditionally release all individuals arrested in connection with exercising their human rights," the rights watchdog added on X.
Mohammadi, one of Iran’s most prominent human rights defenders, has repeatedly said she faces serious threats from Iranian security agencies. In August, she told Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine that intelligence agents had issued direct and indirect death threats against her.
The chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said at the time that Mohammadi had warned her life was in danger, citing what she described as threats of “physical elimination” by state agents.
Mohammadi has accused Iranian authorities of intensifying pressure on civil society since the June ceasefire with Israel, saying repression of activists, journalists and critics has deepened.
Rights groups say Iran remains one of the world’s most restrictive environments for free expression, with activists frequently detained, prosecuted and imprisoned.
Mohammadi, who is serving a combined 13-year and nine-month prison sentence on national security charges, has been on medical furlough from Tehran’s Evin Prison. She has said she will not return voluntarily and that any re-arrest would amount to civil disobedience.
