More than 110 Nobel laureates have called for the immediate and unconditional release of imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, as concern grows over her worsening health after her transfer to a Tehran hospital.
Mohammadi was moved from Zanjan to Pars Hospital in Tehran after authorities suspended enforcement of her sentence to allow treatment outside prison, according to earlier reports citing her lawyer and the Narges Foundation. Her family and supporters say the transfer is only a temporary measure and warn that she could be sent back to prison once her condition stabilizes.
According to the Guardian, in a statement issued on Tuesday, 112 Nobel laureates urged Iranian authorities and the international community to act quickly to secure her freedom and guarantee continued access to specialized medical care. The appeal came after reports that Mohammadi had suffered severe weight loss, unstable blood pressure and serious cardiac symptoms in detention, including an episode in which she was found unconscious in her cell.
The signatories said medical experts had warned that her life may be in immediate danger and argued that she had been denied the specialized care she needed for months. They also called for all charges against her to be dropped. Among those backing the appeal were laureates from chemistry, economics, literature, medicine, peace and physics, including writers Annie Ernaux and J.M. Coetzee.
Jody Williams, the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said Mohammadi should never have been pushed to the brink of death and stressed that no one should be jailed for peaceful activism or defending human rights. Yemeni Nobel laureate Tawakkol Karman described Mohammadi as a fearless voice for Iranian women and said the struggle for dignity and justice could not be silenced by prison.
Mohammadi’s son, Ali Rahmani, said the temporary suspension of her sentence was not enough after years of imprisonment, solitary confinement and what he described as systematic medical neglect. He said the family was demanding her unconditional release and long-term specialized treatment without the threat of being returned to prison.
Mohammadi has been repeatedly detained over her activism, including campaigns against the death penalty and mandatory hijab laws. Earlier reporting on her hospitalization said she had spent 10 days in a hospital in Zanjan before being transferred by ambulance to Pars Hospital in Tehran for treatment under her own doctors’ supervision. Supporters say her case has become a symbol of the broader pressure faced by women’s rights and human rights defenders in Iran.
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