Concerns are intensifying over the health of Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate currently imprisoned, with her family and the Nobel Peace Prize Committee urging her transfer to adequate medical facilities following a reported sharp deterioration of her health.
Urgent Hospital Transfer
On Friday, her family announced that the 54-year-old had been moved from her prison in north-west Iran to a local hospital. They described this action as a “last-minute” measure, expressing fears that it might be too late. Her brother, residing in Norway, informed the BBC on Saturday that Mohammadi’s “blood pressure has dropped sharply, and they haven’t been able to stabilise it.”
Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. She was arrested in December for her criticism of the authorities.
Last month, her brother Hamidreza Mohammadi stated that she had been found unconscious by fellow inmates at Zanjan Prison in north-west Iran, following a suspected heart attack. He added that prison officials had reportedly declined to transfer her to a hospital despite her documented history of cardiac, lung, and blood pressure issues.
Catastrophic Deterioration and Denied Healthcare
On Friday, the Narges Mohammadi Foundation, managed by her family, confirmed her transfer to a hospital in Zanjan province “following a catastrophic deterioration in her health.” The statement further noted that this transfer occurred “after 140 days of arbitrary detention and the persistent denial of specialised healthcare.”
On Saturday, Hamidreza Mohammadi elaborated to the BBC: “Her current problems include low blood pressure and a heart attack, but her previous conditions, such as pulmonary embolism (…) and having undergone stenting and angiography, make any treatment by the doctors in Zanjan effectively impossible.” He stressed that his sister should be transferred to a hospital in Tehran “so that her own specialists, who have treated her previously, can take over her care.”
This call for improved medical attention was echoed by Jorgen Watne Frydnes, head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, who told Reuters news agency that Mohammadi’s life remained at risk.
Extensive Legal History and Activism
According to her foundation, Narges Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times throughout her life and has been sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes. In 2021, she began serving a 13-year sentence on charges of “propaganda activity against the state” and “collusion against state security,” allegations she has denied.
In December 2024, she was granted a temporary release from Tehran’s Evin prison on medical grounds. She continued her advocacy work while undergoing treatment and was arrested in the north-eastern city of Mashhad last December after delivering a speech at a memorial ceremony for a fellow human rights activist. Her family reported she was taken to hospital after sustaining injuries during the arrest.
In early February, Mohammadi was sentenced by a Revolutionary Court to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of “gathering and collusion” and “propaganda activities,” as stated by her lawyer. She was subsequently transferred without warning the following week to Zanjan prison and has since been allowed only limited communication with her family.
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