Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi taken to hospital after arrest, family says

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was taken to a hospital emergency room twice after her arrest last week by Iranian security forces, her family said Tuesday, following what they described as severe beatings during her detention in the northeastern city of Mashhad.

In a statement on social media, Mohammadi’s family said they spoke with her briefly by phone after the arrest and she described repeated blows that required emergency treatment.

Mohammadi, 53, was arrested Friday while attending a gathering connected to the death of human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, according to the Narges Mohammadi Foundation. Images shared by supporters show her speaking to a crowd shortly before security forces moved in. Others show her being taken for medical care.

Iranian authorities have not publicly commented on her family’s account, and did not respond to questions.

Authorities on Saturday said they ordered security officials to temporarily detain a number of participants at the gathering after the chanting of what they called “norm-breaking” slogans, and described the detention as preventative to protect her from others in the crowd.

Mohammadi won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long advocacy for human rights and women’s rights in Iran. She has repeatedly been jailed over her activism and previously had been released on medical grounds.