Kenneth Glad
A hospital transfer has intensified concern over an imprisoned activist’s health. The case has renewed scrutiny of Iran’s treatment of peaceful dissent and women’s rights campaigning.
Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was moved to Pars Hospital in Tehran on May 10 after a serious health decline, reports The Guardian.
Her representatives said she had lost significant weight, suffered unstable blood pressure and experienced serious heart-related symptoms while imprisoned.
They also said she was discovered unconscious in her cell after a possible heart attack.
Supporters fear the hospital transfer may be temporary and that she could be returned to prison if doctors stabilize her condition.
Laureates intervene
A group of 112 Nobel laureates has urged Iran to free Mohammadi immediately and without conditions.
The statement also called on foreign governments and rights groups to push for her continued access to specialized medical treatment.
“Medical experts warn that her life may be at imminent risk,” the laureates said, according to the British newspaper.
The signatories represented every Nobel Prize field, including peace, literature, science and economics. Writers Annie Ernaux and JM Coetzee are among those backing the appeal.
Jody Williams, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, said Mohammadi “should never have been brought to the brink of death”. She added: “No one, anywhere, should be imprisoned for peaceful protest or for defending human rights.”
Symbol of resistance
Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her long campaign for women’s rights and human rights in Iran. Her imprisonment has made her one of the most visible symbols of resistance to mandatory hijab laws, executions and state pressure on activists.
The Guardian writes that Yemeni journalist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Tawakkol Karman praised Mohammadi’s role in Iran’s women’s movement and called for global solidarity with Iranian women.
Ali Rahmani, Mohammadi’s Paris-based son, said short-term relief would not resolve the danger facing his mother.
“My mom requires unconditional freedom and long-term, specialised care without the shadow of a return to the environment that nearly killed her,” he said.
Mohammadi has been arrested repeatedly since 1998. She has been sentenced to more than 44 years in prison across multiple cases, along with 154 lashes.
Source: The Guardian
