A court in Iran has handed an additional 15-month prison term to the convicted Nobel laureate and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, according to a Monday Instagram post from the activist’s family. The additional jail term was given to Mohammadi for allegedly “spreading propaganda” against the Islamic Republic. The court reportedly based its decision on Mohammadi’s refusal to take part in interrogations and trial sessions in court.

The Instagram post also stated:

This trial occured in Mohammadi’s absence on December 19, 2023 at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court which was presided over by Judge Iman Afshari. The trial was reportedly commenced following a complaint from the Ministry of Intelligence and the verdict was promptly issued in that session without her presence during that session.

The Islamic Revolutionary Court’s verdict includes fifteen months in prison, two years of exile outside Tehran and its neighboring provinces, a two-year travel ban, a two-year ban on membership in socio-political groups, and a two-year ban on using a smartphone, as reported by Mohammadi’s family.

The additional charges follow Mohammadi’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Prize in October last year. She is the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman, after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003. 

Mohammadi, the current director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), has been facing prison terms since 1998 over multiple convictions. She has been imprisoned 13 times for a total of 31 years and has been convicted five times. She is currently imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison. Her most recent conviction resulted from her role in the protests sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody after being detained by Iranian police for wearing “improper” hijab.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Iran remained the worst “jailer of journalists” according to its prison census report in 2022.