Imprisoned Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to Zanjan hospital following cardiac crisis
The 2023 Peace Prize winner was moved after two episodes of unconsciousness, though her legal team notes the facility may lack the capacity for her serious cardiac issues
Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi has been urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan after suffering a severe cardiac crisis and two episodes of complete unconsciousness. Her family described the rapid deterioration of her health as catastrophic, characterising the move as a last-minute action that may prove too late to stabilise her condition.
The transfer occurred on Friday following a sudden drop in blood pressure which led to the first episode of fainting. Although Mohammadi initially refused to be moved to the Zanjan facility due to warnings that the hospital lacked the capability to treat her serious cardiac issues, she was relocated after a second collapse and further decline in her health.
In Oslo, the Norwegian Nobel Committee has intervened, urging Iranian authorities to immediately transfer Mohammadi to her dedicated medical team in Tehran. Committee chair Jorgen Watne Frydnes stated that without such specific treatment, her life remains at risk and is now entirely in the hands of the Iranian authorities.
Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her more than two decades of campaigning against Iran's use of capital punishment and mandatory dress codes for women, was arrested in December in Mashhad. She had been speaking out against clerical authorities at a funeral ceremony at the time of her detention.
Supporters had been issuing warnings about her health since late March, noting a suspected heart attack and inadequate medical treatment. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, confirmed that while Mohammadi had initially resisted the transfer to Zanjan, a neurologist indicated that addressing her neurological state is currently the clinical priority despite her serious cardiac condition.
Over the past quarter of a century, Mohammadi has been repeatedly tried and jailed for her activism. The current medical emergency highlights the ongoing concerns regarding the treatment of political prisoners within the Iranian penal system, as the long-term outcome of this transfer remains uncertain.
