Nobel Laureates Urge Iran to Free Narges Mohammadi Amid Health Crisis
More than 110 Nobel laureates have called for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi, the imprisoned Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate, following her transfer to a hospital due to rapidly worsening health conditions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 112 Nobel laureates appealed to Iranian authorities and the international community to act "without delay" to secure Mohammadi's release and guarantee her ongoing access to medical care.
Mohammadi, who received the Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long advocacy for women's rights in Iran, was transferred by ambulance in critical condition to Tehran's Pars hospital on 10 May for specialized treatment.
While in detention, the human rights advocate suffered severe weight loss, unstable blood pressure, and serious cardiac symptoms. She was found unconscious in her cell following a possible heart attack. Her transfer to the hospital is considered a temporary measure, and her representatives fear she may be returned to prison if her condition improves.
The Nobel laureates demanded her immediate release and the dropping of all charges against her.
"Medical experts warn that her life may be at imminent risk,"they stated, emphasizing that she had been denied specialized medical care for months during her imprisonment.
The signatories include 26 Nobel laureates in chemistry, 12 in economics, five in literature, 29 in medicine, 11 peace laureates, and 29 in physics. Among them are authors and JM Coetzee.
Jody Williams, the US anti-landmine activist awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1997, commented on Mohammadi's condition:
"She should never have been brought to the brink of death."Williams added,
"No one, anywhere, should be imprisoned for peaceful protest or for defending human rights."
Tawakkol Karman, the Yemeni journalist and 2011 Nobel laureate, described Mohammadi as
"the fearless voice of women resisting oppression and demanding freedom."Karman further stated,
"No prison can silence the struggle for dignity and justice. Narges must be released, and the world must continue to stand with the women of Iran."
Ali Rahmani, Mohammadi's son based in Paris, expressed his concerns:
"The temporary suspension of my mother’s sentence is simply not enough. After years of imprisonment, solitary confinement and systematic medical neglect, her life still hangs by a thread.
We do not just want her out of a cell for a few days; we demand a permanent end to this judicial persecution. My mom requires unconditional freedom and long-term, specialised care without the shadow of a return to the environment that nearly killed her."
Mohammadi has faced repeated detention by Iranian authorities since 2010 due to her activism, including campaigns against the death penalty and Iran’s mandatory hijab laws. She has been sentenced to more than 44 years in prison and 154 lashes across multiple sentences.
