Iranian MPs call for release of human rights activist Mohammadi

Twenty Iranian MPs have called on the head of the judicial authorities for the release of the journalist and human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence, regional media reported on Sunday.

According to Arab48.com, reports in the Iranian media claim that the MPs called on Ayatollah Sadiq Larijani to “intervene personally” in this issue in order to get a “pardon” for Mohammadi. The activist, 44, has long been campaigning against the death penalty in Iran.

The MPs who signed the letter included the Second-Deputy Speaker Ali Mathari and a number of reformists. They pointed out that Mohammadi is suffering from arthritis.

Narges Mohammadi was a spokesperson for the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, which is banned in Iran. She was arrested in May 2015 and given a total sentence of 16 years in jail. However, a law passed in 2016 means that she will serve a maximum of ten years.