The chairman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed concern about the deteriorating health of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who is currently in Iranian custody. Following a significant decline in her health, including two episodes of unconsciousness and a severe cardiac crisis, Mohammadi was moved from prison to a hospital, as reported by a foundation linked to her family.
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation stated that the transfer was necessary after prison medical staff deemed her condition beyond their management capabilities. Mohammadi, in her 50s, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize while incarcerated for her advocacy for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran. Her family reported a suspected heart attack in late March.
In an update provided by the foundation, Mohammadi’s condition was described as unstable, with her receiving oxygen support. The foundation urged for her transfer to a hospital in Tehran for specialized medical care and tests.
Jørgen Watne Frydnes, the chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, appealed to Iranian authorities, emphasizing the urgency of releasing Mohammadi to her medical team due to the serious risk to her life. He stressed that Mohammadi’s imprisonment was solely related to her peaceful human rights activities and that her well-being was now in the hands of Iranian authorities.
In February, the foundation disclosed that Mohammadi had been sentenced to a new prison term of seven and a half years shortly before the conflict between the U.S. and Israel with Iran. The Nobel committee had previously called for her immediate release. Mohammadi was detained in December after criticizing the death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi, according to prosecutor Hasan Hematifar.
Following a health scare where Mohammadi fainted due to high blood pressure and nausea, leading to emergency medical intervention, her family emphasized the imminent threat to her life. They demanded the immediate dropping of all charges related to her human rights work and the unconditional cancellation of any sentences imposed on her.