273. Iran must release Narges Mohammadi
Iranian Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi remains detained in an Iranian prison. Her family and friends are alarmed for her safety due to a sudden decline in her health, a suspected heart attack, and nearly 20 kg of weight loss. Lack of access to appropriate treatment is placing her life in immediate danger.
After several years as a journalist, Mohammadi joined the Defenders of Human Rights Center in 2003 and later served as vice president. In May 2016, she was sentenced to 16 years in prison in Tehran for establishing and managing the illegal splinter group Legam.
A strong advocate for mass feminist civil disobedience against Iran's mandatory hijab, she has also been an outspoken critic of the 2023 hijab and chastity program.
In October 2023, while in prison, she received the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the oppression of women in Iran and to promote human rights and freedom for all.
The 54-year-old human rights activist was released in 2024 due to health issues but was re-arrested in December 2025 at a memorial service for a fellow activist. She is now detained at Zanjan Central Prison in northwestern Iran.
She is suspected of having had a heart attack in March and of being found unconscious in her cell. Her legal team said she had been experiencing persistent chest pain, loss of consciousness, and severe weight loss. They have been seeking a one-month medical suspension.
Her doctors stated that, due to her complex cardiac history, which includes several previous angioplasties, any additional surgery needed to be performed by her own medical team at a fully equipped hospital in Tehran. They also emphasized that the facilities in Zanjan were insufficient.
Mohammadi’s daughter, Kiana Rahmani, in a statement, said: “My mother’s body is simply exhausted. After more than 10 years behind bars and numerous hunger strikes, her heart is struggling. She already has a stent from a previous surgery and now faces daily headaches, high blood pressure, and constant chest pain.”
Mohammadi has received a 44-year sentence in her lifetime; of that, she has already spent more than 10 years behind bars. She was also kept for 161 days in solitary confinement, and faces at least 18 more years of imprisonment and 154 lashes for her peaceful activism.
Mohammadi has publicly backed the 2022 Woman, Life, Freedom protests triggered by Mahsa Amini’s death. She advocates for women’s rights, the abolition of the death penalty, and better prison conditions in Iran.
The world's intelligentsia must step forward and urge the current Iranian administration to release her. They should abandon their earlier opposition to women's liberation and send a signal to the world that Iran is gradually changing.
The Islamic Republic must promptly release all political prisoners in Iran to foster a more positive image. While resisting America's oppressive actions, Iran has already garnered significant positive recognition.
Mohammadi is being punished for speaking out on behalf of those who were executed, imprisoned, or disappeared in Iran. Our collective voice will help her recover.