PEN/Barbey #FreedomToWrite Awardee Narges Mohammadi is still unjustly detained a week after her violent arrest in Iran. We demand the Iranian government release her and others jailed for their expression, and allow access to lawyers and medical care. https://t.co/iNSW0Qbsnw pic.twitter.com/qLAmHO9h9i
— PEN America (@PENamerica) December 19, 2025
Association
On 12th December 2025, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and prominent human rights defender Narges Mohammadi was arbitrarily arrested once again by Iranian authorities. Mohammadi was detained by security forces while attending a memorial ceremony for the late human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi in Mashhad. According to GCHR, this arrest forms part of a continuing pattern of harassment and intimidation against human rights defenders in Iran.
Expression
On 10th December 2025, Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that Iranian authorities are systematically using the justice system to persecute members of the Bahá’í community. HRW documented hundreds of cases of harassment, including raids on homes and businesses, arbitrary arrests, and prosecutions under vague national security charges. The report highlighted that Bahá’ís have faced confiscation of property and lengthy prison sentences following unfair trials in Revolutionary Courts. HRW described these actions as part of a deliberate campaign to criminalise peaceful religious practice and called on Iran to end these violations immediately.