Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was taken to hospital after a sudden deterioration in her health while in prison, her lawyer and family said Friday.
Mohammadi, 54, reportedly suffered a heart attack in late March and has remained weakened since then, with her family saying prison medical care has been insufficient. She won the Nobel Prize for her work defending women’s rights and opposing the death penalty—activism that has led to repeated arrests and incarcerations by Iranian authorities. She is also facing a new prison term totaling seven and a half years.
Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, said Mohammadi had long experienced cardiac arrhythmia before the collapse. Nili wrote on X that she had severe chest pain and then entered a critical condition. The Narges Mohammadi Foundation, run by her family, said she lost consciousness twice and suffered a severe cardiac crisis. Prison doctors reportedly concluded they could not manage her condition and arranged an emergency transfer to hospital, which the foundation described as a “desperate, last-minute” measure that might not be sufficient to address her urgent needs. Mohammadi has previously undergone three angioplasties.
Her family has called for all charges against her to be dropped immediately and for the sentences imposed for her peaceful human rights work to be unconditionally annulled.
Mohammadi has been detained numerous times over the past decades; her first imprisonment dates to 1998 after she criticized the government. Her most recent arrest followed a December detention after she publicly denounced the death of human rights lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, which his family, colleagues and activists have described as suspicious. Prosecutors accused Mohammadi of making provocative remarks at Alikordi’s memorial and of encouraging attendees to voice their concerns. In February, her lawyer reported additional sentences: six years for conspiracy and one and a half years for propaganda activities, along with a two-year ban on leaving Iran.
The case has drawn international attention because of Mohammadi’s Nobel recognition and long-standing profile as a critic of Iran’s human rights record. Edited by: Louis Oelofse