Nobel Peace laureate and Iranian rights activist Narges Mohammadi has been moved to a hospital in Tehran, her foundation said, more than a week after she collapsed while detained. The foundation said her transfer follows intense appeals from family and supporters who had described her condition as critical.
Mohammadi, 53, had been jailed since December in Zanjan prison. She lost consciousness twice and was taken to a local hospital on May 1 before authorities approved her transfer to Tehran. The foundation said her prison sentence has been suspended on bail, but it did not specify how long the suspension will last and called that measure insufficient given her medical needs.
Her legal team said the transfer order followed a determination by Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization, the government-appointed medical examiners, which concluded that because of multiple illnesses she needs treatment outside prison under the supervision of her own medical team. There was no immediate comment from other Iranian authorities.
Mohammadi’s family and supporters have urged that she not be returned to prison to serve the remainder of an 18-year sentence. The foundation said she requires permanent, specialized care and renewed its call for her unconditional release and the dismissal of all charges.
Her brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, who lives in Oslo, said medical examiners had previously recommended her move to Tehran but that the transfer was blocked, a decision he blamed on the intelligence agency. He said he felt relieved after the latest transfer.
The activist, a long-time champion of women’s rights who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while imprisoned, has been repeatedly jailed during her career. Her current detention began after an arrest in Mashhad. Her family says her health worsened in custody, in part because she was severely beaten during the arrest.
Medical reports cited by family members say Mohammadi suffered a heart attack in March and has a pulmonary blood clot that requires anticoagulant treatment and monitoring. While in Zanjan hospital’s cardiac care unit her blood pressure reportedly swung between very low and very high levels; she was receiving oxygen and was unable to speak, according to her brother.
The Nobel Committee has urged Iranian authorities to allow Mohammadi to be treated by her dedicated medical team in Tehran, warning that without such care her life remains at risk.