Suspected Heart Attack in Prison Raises Concerns
Hamidreza Mohammadi, the brother of Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, has expressed grave concerns over her health following a suspected heart attack while incarcerated in north-western Iran. He informed the BBC that the 53-year-old human rights advocate was discovered unconscious in her bed by fellow inmates at Zanjan Prison last week.
Despite her critical condition, she was only taken to the prison infirmary, with officials reportedly refusing to transfer her to a hospital. This decision was made notwithstanding her documented history of heart and lung ailments, as well as severe fluctuations in blood pressure. Hamidreza Mohammadi has called for her immediate release to allow for comprehensive medical evaluation.
He further highlighted the additional stress imposed by ongoing strikes and explosions near the prison, which have occurred since the onset of the US-Israeli conflict with Iran approximately one month ago.
"This war has had a terrible effect on prisoners in Iran. If the prison gets hit, if the prisoners need immediate medical attention, they will not get anything and their lives are in danger,"
"It's been really difficult for her family... Her children have gone through a lot. Now they experience very uncertain time when they don't know even if in the future there will be any peace or if their mother is going to live or die."
Narges Mohammadi’s Background and Imprisonment
Narges Mohammadi serves as the vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran. She was honored with the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her activism against female oppression and her broader human rights advocacy.
Her activism has resulted in over a decade of imprisonment. In 2021, she commenced a 13-year sentence on charges including "propaganda activity against the state" and "collusion against state security," charges she has denied.
In December 2024, she was temporarily released from Tehran's Evin prison on medical grounds. Despite this, she continued her activism while receiving treatment. In December of the same year, she was arrested in Mashhad following a speech at a memorial for a fellow human rights activist. Her family reported that she was hospitalized after sustaining head and neck injuries during the arrest.
Subsequently, widespread protests erupted across Iran against the clerical establishment. According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), security forces responded with an unprecedented crackdown resulting in at least 6,508 deaths and 53,000 arrests.
In early February, a Revolutionary Court in Mashhad sentenced Mohammadi to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison for "gathering and collusion" and "propaganda activities," as confirmed by her lawyer. She was transferred without prior notice to Zanjan prison the following week and has had limited contact with her family since.
Last Sunday, under strict surveillance, her legal team and a family member were permitted to visit her.
The Free Narges Coalition released a statement on Tuesday reporting that her overall health was "extremely poor," noting she appeared pale, weak, and had significant weight loss when escorted to the visitation room by a prison nurse.
The coalition cited Mohammadi's cellmates, who reported that on 24 March she was "found unconscious in her bed with her eyes rolled back" for over an hour. Fellow inmates carried her to the prison infirmary, where medication was administered to restore consciousness.
Despite these alarming symptoms indicative of a heart attack, authorities declined to transfer her to a hospital or permit specialist consultation.
Additionally, Mohammadi has reported persistent debilitating headaches, nausea, and double vision since her violent arrest, with visible bruises still present on her body, according to the coalition.
"According to the Iranian law, in wartime, when they [the authorities] cannot guarantee safety of the prisoners, especially prisoners who are not dangerous to society, they must be allowed to leave the prison until the war is over,"
"But not only [have they not done] it, they have denied all the political prisoners any medical attention, and their excuse is 'it is wartime'. So our demand is that she immediately be released for a thorough medical examination.
"We know her medical history, we know that she has heart problems and pulmonary problems. She must be in a hospital."
Arrest of Nasrin Sotoudeh
In a related development, the daughter of Nasrin Sotoudeh, a prominent Iranian human rights lawyer and Sakharov Prize recipient, announced her mother's arrest in Tehran on Wednesday night.
Mehraveh Khandan posted on Instagram that Sotoudeh, aged 62, was detained "last night while she was home alone." Upon visiting the residence, family members discovered that electronic devices, including laptops and phones belonging to both her parents, had been confiscated.
Khandan stated that she has had no contact with her mother since the arrest and that the specific security agency responsible for her detention remains unknown.
Sotoudeh has faced multiple imprisonments related to her human rights work, which notably includes defending women arrested for removing their headscarves. In 2018, she received a sentence of 38 years in prison and 148 lashes. She was released on medical grounds in 2021 due to a serious heart condition.
Her husband, human rights defender Reza Khandan, has been imprisoned since 2024.
