Iranian human rights activist Nargess Mohammadi, who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, was taken to hospital after suddenly feeling ill in prison, her lawyer and family said on Friday.
According to his family, Mohammadi, 54, suffered a heart attack in late March and has been in a weak condition since then, with medical care in prison inadequate for his needs.
Mohammadi received the Nobel Prize for her activities promoting women’s rights and opposing the death penalty – however, such activities led Iranian authorities to imprison her several times.
She currently faces a new prison term of 7 1/2 years.
What do we know about Mohammadi’s condition?
Her lawyer, Mustafa Nili, said she had been suffering from cardiac arrhythmia for a long time before her sudden collapse.
“He experienced severe chest pain and then his condition seriously deteriorated,” Neely wrote on X.
The Narges Mohammadi Foundation, run by his family, said on Friday that he had been hospitalized after a “catastrophic deterioration in his health, including complete loss of consciousness and two episodes of severe cardiac distress.”
The foundation said he was hospitalized after prison doctors determined they could not manage his condition.
It described the transfer as a “desperate, last-minute” measure that may come too late to address his serious health needs.
Mohammadi has previously undergone three angioplasties, procedures used to widen narrowed or blocked arteries or veins.
Why is Mohammadi in jail?
Her family demanded the “immediate dismissal of all charges against her and the unconditional revocation of all convictions imposed for her peaceful human rights work.”
Mohammadi has been arrested and jailed several times over the past decades. He was first jailed in 1998 for criticizing the Iranian government.
His latest prison sentence comes after he was arrested in December for condemning the death of human rights lawyer Khosrow Alicordi, who died under suspicious circumstances that month after being described by his family, colleagues and activists.
Mohammadi was then accused by prosecutors of making provocative remarks at Alicordi’s memorial ceremony and urging attendees to vocally express their concerns.
In February, he was sentenced to an additional six years in prison for conspiracy and 1 1/2 years for propaganda activities, his lawyer reported. He was also banned from leaving Iran for two years.
Edited by: Louis Olofse