Jailed Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi at risk of death, family warns

The husband of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has expressed growing concern over her health following her hospitalisation for severe medical complications, warning that her condition could become life-threatening without proper treatment.

Mohammadi, 54, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her campaign for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty, suffered a cardiac emergency last week before being transferred from prison to hospital in Zanjan, western Iran.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, speaking from Paris, said the family remains deeply alarmed by her condition and the limitations on her medical care.

“We are very afraid because the illnesses that Narges has, such as high blood pressure or a pulmonary embolism, could lead to her death,” he said in an interview.

He added that communication with her remains difficult due to restricted internet access in Iran, with updates coming indirectly through relatives, acquaintances and her lawyer.

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Family's demands

Mohammadi’s family is calling for her transfer to Tehran to ensure access to more advanced medical facilities. She remains under medical supervision in Zanjan, where she had been serving her sentence.

Rahmani said he was able to speak to her briefly on Tuesday morning and that authorities had agreed to keep her in hospital for around one week. However, he warned that any return to prison could worsen her condition.

“Even if her condition improves a little, if she is sent back to prison her condition will worsen again and we are afraid of that,” he said.

The couple have 19-year-old twin children.

Rahmani also suggested that Mohammadi’s detention environment has become more restrictive amid broader regional tensions and internal security pressures, adding that authorities view her continued activism as a threat.

“Narges is an activist who, wherever she goes, becomes active and for the repressive system this activity is considered a threat,” he said.

Activism history

Mohammadi has spent years in and out of prison for her human rights activism, and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while incarcerated. In February, her foundation said she had been sentenced to a further seven and a half years in prison.

Her family and supporters say her current health condition represents a “direct and immediate” risk to her life and are calling for her unconditional release.

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