Nobel Committee Condemns Jail Term for Iranian Laureate Mohammadi

An undated photo of Narges Mohammadi provided by the foundation that bears her name © - / NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION/AFP
An undated photo of Narges Mohammadi provided by the foundation that bears her name © - / NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION/AFP
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Nobel Committee Condemns Jail Term for Iranian Laureate Mohammadi

An undated photo of Narges Mohammadi provided by the foundation that bears her name © - / NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION/AFP
An undated photo of Narges Mohammadi provided by the foundation that bears her name © - / NARGES MOHAMMADI FOUNDATION/AFP

The Norwegian Nobel Committee on Thursday criticized an Iranian court's decision to slap an additional one-year jail term on imprisoned 2023 Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, called it "a flagrant violation of human rights and a travesty of justice".

Mohammadi, 52, has been jailed since November 2021 over several past convictions relating to her campaigns against the obligatory hijab for women and capital punishment in Iran.

Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said on X on Tuesday: "Mohammadi was sentenced to one year in prison for propaganda against the system."

The Nobel Committee said it "strongly condemns the harsh and unjust sentencing".

Nili said the sentence was in response to calls to boycott parliamentary elections, letters to Swedish and Norwegian lawmakers, and comments made about journalist and student Dina Ghalibaf, AFP reported.

Rights groups said Ghalibaf was taken into custody after accusing security forces on social media of putting her in handcuffs and sexually assaulting her during a previous arrest at a metro station.

Ghalibaf has since been released.

The Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website said on April 22 that Ghalibaf "had not been raped" and that she was being prosecuted for making a "false statement".

Mohammadi refused to attend a trial hearing in Tehran earlier this month, and in March shared an audio message from prison in which she decried a "full-scale war against women" in the Islamic republic.

She was honoured with the Nobel Peace Prize in October "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all".



Russia Says It Downed 36 Ukraine-Launched Drones over Several Russian Regions

Ukrainian soldiers carry shells to fire at Russian positions on the front line, near the city of Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on March 25, 2024. (AP)
Ukrainian soldiers carry shells to fire at Russian positions on the front line, near the city of Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on March 25, 2024. (AP)
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Russia Says It Downed 36 Ukraine-Launched Drones over Several Russian Regions

Ukrainian soldiers carry shells to fire at Russian positions on the front line, near the city of Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on March 25, 2024. (AP)
Ukrainian soldiers carry shells to fire at Russian positions on the front line, near the city of Bakhmut, in Ukraine's Donetsk region, on March 25, 2024. (AP)

Russia's air defense systems destroyed 36 drones that Ukraine launched overnight targeting several regions in Russia's southwest, the Russian defense ministry said on Sunday.

Fifteen drones were destroyed over the Kursk region that borders Ukraine and nine over the Lipetsk region, several hundred kilometers south of Moscow, the defense ministry said on the Telegram messaging app.

Four drones were destroyed each over the Voronezh and Bryansk regions in southwestern Russia and two each over the nearby Oryol and Belgorod regions.

The governors of the Lipetsk and Bryansk regions said on their Telegram channels that there were no injuries or extensive damage as a result of the attacks.

Russian officials often do not disclose the full extent of damage inflicted by Ukrainian attacks.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Kyiv has said attacks on Russia's military, transport and energy infrastructure are in response to Moscow's attacks on Ukraine's territory since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.