Iranian Activist Narges Mohammadi Hospitalized for Heart Issues in Prison

Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was urgently transferred to a hospital in Zanjan province on Friday after suffering a catastrophic deterioration in her health, including a cardiac crisis and two episodes of complete loss of consciousness.

The 54-year-old collapsed in prison and was hospitalized, with her family reporting that she had been taken from Zanjan Prison to a local facility after a sharp drop in her health. Prison doctors determined her condition could not be managed on-site, despite medical recommendations for treatment in Tehran by her specialized team.

On Friday morning, Mohammadi fainted after days of dangerously high blood pressure and severe nausea, followed by multiple bouts of vomiting and a blackout, leading to emergency intravenous fluids in the prison medical unit. Her brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, said her blood pressure has dropped sharply and has not been stabilized, adding that her current problems include low blood pressure and a heart attack.

Mohammadi has a history of cardiac, lung, and blood pressure problems, including pulmonary embolism, and has undergone stenting, angiography, and three angioplasty procedures.

Her condition has deteriorated since a March heart attack, when she was found unconscious by fellow inmates at Zanjan Prison, but prison officials refused to transfer her to a hospital despite her health history. The Narges Mohammadi Foundation stated that the transfer came after 140 days of arbitrary detention and denial of specialized healthcare, describing it as a desperate, last-minute measure.

Hamidreza Mohammadi emphasized that she should be transferred to a hospital in Tehran for care by her own specialists, who have treated her previously.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, said Mohammadi's life remains at risk. The secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee expressed concern on Thursday that her condition was worsening after she suffered a heart attack in prison. Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting human rights in Iran and fighting against the oppression of women.

She has been arrested 13 times, convicted five times, and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes as of 2023. In 2021, Mohammadi began serving a 13-year sentence on charges of propaganda activity against the state and collusion against state security. She is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in Iran and suffers from chronic heart and other health issues.

In December 2024, Mohammadi was given a temporary release from Tehran's Evin prison on medical grounds. While on furlough in December 2025, she spoke out against the Iranian regime at a funeral of a fellow activist and was arrested again in Mashhad after giving a speech at a memorial ceremony for human rights activist Khosrow Alikordi.

Her family said she was taken to hospital after being beaten during her arrest in December.

Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar stated that she was arrested in December after denouncing the death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi at the memorial ceremony in Mashhad. Following her December 2025 arrest, Mohammadi was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of threatening national security.

In early February, she was sentenced by a Revolutionary Court to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison for gathering and collusion and propaganda activities, according to her lawyer.

Mohammadi was transferred to Zanjan prison the week after her February sentencing and has been allowed only limited communication with her family since then. In March, she suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness in prison, but authorities declined to take her to a hospital, according to her husband.