Exclusive with Narges Mohammadi: Unpacking the impact of Iran’s political situation on HRDs

WATCH: EXCLUSIVE WITH NARGES MOHAMMADI

What does it mean to be imprisoned as a women human rights defender in Iran?

Hundreds of human rights defenders have been imprisoned in Iran under the political regime. Many of those prisoners are women, whom have been subjected to cruel treatment such as being placed in solitary confinement for long periods of time.
16 September 2025 will mark the third anniversary of the death of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, and the revolutionary ” Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in Iran. Narges Mohammadi, a prominent woman human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been imprisoned multiple times, and subsequently harassed both before and after these protests. She has become a leading voice for women in Iran.

In this piece, she reflects on her time in prison and solitary confinement and how she others resisted within the prison system – something many women human rights defenders are still doing.

She unpacks the broader political situation in Iran for human rights defenders, what they have endured, why they have endured, and what the future may hold. She inspires with her bravery and encouraging words.

Watch the full piece here: