Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi granted short medical leave from prison in Iran

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who resides in France with their children, criticized authorities for delaying necessary medical care.

By THE MEDIA LINE STAFF DECEMBER 5, 2024 16:17

Iranian human rights activist and the vice president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC) Narges Mohammadi poses in this undated handout picture. (photo credit: Mohammadi family archive photos/Handout via REUTERS)

Jailed Iranian activist and 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been granted a 21-day medical leave to recover from surgery, her foundation announced Wednesday. Mohammadi, 52, underwent surgery to remove a potentially cancerous lesion from her leg and requires extended care, though her foundation argues the leave is insufficient for proper recovery.

“A 21-day suspension of Narges Mohammadi’s sentence is inadequate,” her foundation said in a statement, calling for at least three months outside prison. Mohammadi has been serving her sentence in Tehran’s Evin prison since November 2021, following her conviction for “spreading anti-state propaganda.”

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who resides in France with their children, criticized authorities for delaying necessary medical care. “She needs to stay out of prison to receive adequate medical care,” Rahmani told The New York Times.

Mohammadi’s health has deteriorated during her incarceration, with reports of multiple heart attacks, according to her foundation. Despite her imprisonment, Mohammadi has become an enduring symbol of female resistance in Iran. Her involvement in the 2022 anti-government protests, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini, led to her receiving the Nobel Peace Prize, which her children accepted in her absence.

The first mural, featuring Mahsa Amini and other martyrs, was a bold declaration of solidarity with the women of Iran. (credit: Courtesy, Hooman Khalili)

Protests in Iran

The protests, known as the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement, challenged Iran’s mandatory hijab laws and systemic oppression. Footage shared by her foundation showed Mohammadi returning home after her surgery, her leg in a cast, dressed in a sleeveless floral gown without a hijab. She declared, “Freedom is our right. Long live freedom! Women, life, and freedom!”