Iranian Activist Narges Mohammadi Hospitalized After Suspected Heart Attack in Prison

Imprisoned Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi was transferred to a hospital in Zanjan province on May 1 after suffering a suspected heart attack and a sharp decline in her health. The 54-year-old, who won the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, had been found unconscious by fellow inmates at Zanjan Prison in north-west Iran last month.

Her family reported that she was taken to the hospital amid terrible headaches, nausea, and chest pain related to her heart condition.

The move followed 140 days of arbitrary detention and denial of specialized healthcare, according to the Narges Mohammadi Foundation. Hamidreza Mohammadi, her brother, said she is suffering from low blood pressure and had a heart attack. He emphasized that her previous conditions, including a pulmonary embolism and having undergone stenting and angiography, make treatment by doctors in Zanjan effectively impossible.

Prison officials refused to transfer Mohammadi to a hospital despite her history of cardiac, lung, and blood pressure problems, Hamidreza Mohammadi stated. He added that she should be transferred to a hospital in Tehran so her own specialists can take over her care.

The suspected heart attack occurred in late March, and she was transferred without warning to Zanjan Prison the week after her February sentencing.

Mohammadi has been allowed only limited communication with her family since her transfer to Zanjan Prison. She was arrested in December 2024 in Mashhad after giving a speech at a memorial ceremony. Her family said she was taken to hospital after being beaten during that arrest.

In early February, a Revolutionary Court sentenced Mohammadi to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison after convicting her of gathering and collusion and propaganda activities, according to her lawyer. She had been given a temporary release from Evin Prison in Tehran on medical grounds in December 2024.

In 2021, she began serving a 13-year sentence on charges of propaganda activity against the state and collusion against state security.

Over her lifetime, Mohammadi has been arrested 13 times and sentenced to a total of 31 years in prison and 154 lashes, the Narges Mohammadi Foundation stated. She was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work promoting human rights in Iran. Hamidreza Mohammadi, speaking from Norway, described her as energetic and refusing to be broken by the regime, adding that he last spoke with her the day before her latest arrest in December.

That is what we are very worried about, her heart," Hamidreza Mohammadi said in an interview. He noted that experts believe her life is in danger and she needs at least one month away from prison conditions to be treated properly.

Jorgen Watne Frydnes, head of the Nobel Peace Prize committee, stated that Mohammadi's life was at risk and echoed the call for her transfer to Tehran. Hamidreza Mohammadi criticized the Iranian government for deliberately stopping his sister from getting needed medical help, saying he has no doubt the regime has decided to get rid of activists like her.

" Mohammadi continued campaigning while on temporary release and undergoing treatment before her December arrest.

Her family and the Nobel committee have appealed to Iranian authorities for her to receive care from her dedicated medical team in Tehran. Iranian authorities have not publicly responded to the family's account.