Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi may have suffered a heart attack while incarcerated in Iran, prompting alarm from her foundation.
Possible Heart Attack and Denial of Medical Care
According to fellow inmates, 54-year-old human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was found unconscious in her bed on March 24th. The foundation named after the Nobel laureate reports that despite clear signs of a heart attack, prison authorities refused to transfer her to a hospital or allow a specialist visit.
Deteriorating Health Condition
A legal team and a family member visited Mohammadi at Zanjan Prison on Sunday, finding her in very poor health, appearing pale and weakened, according to the foundation.
Nobel Prize and Recent Sentencing
Narges Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her fight for women’s rights and freedom in Iran. She was arrested on December 12th of last year in Mashhad, along with other activists, during a memorial event for a deceased lawyer.
Additional Prison Sentence and Past Imprisonment
On February 7th, an Iranian court sentenced Mohammadi to 7.5 years in prison for participating in an alleged conspiracy against national security and for “propaganda activities” against the government. Over the past 25 years, she has been repeatedly tried and imprisoned for her activism against the death penalty in Iran and strict dress codes for women.
Family Separation and Temporary Release
Mohammadi has spent most of the last decade in prison and has not seen her two children, who live in Paris, since 2015. She was temporarily released for three weeks in December 2024 due to her poor health.
Combined Sentence and Related Arrests
The recent sentence brings Mohammadi’s total prison time to 17 years. Simultaneously, the regime arrested Azar Mansouri, head of the reformist bloc, for criticizing the brutal suppression of protests.
