Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has been released from a cardiac care unit and returned home after being moved from prison to a hospital due to a suspected heart attack, a foundation managed by her family announced on Monday. Mohammadi, aged 54, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while incarcerated for her advocacy for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran. The foundation disclosed in February that she had been handed a new prison sentence amidst tensions leading up to the conflict involving the U.S. and Israel.
After experiencing a suspected heart attack in late March, Mohammadi was first taken to a hospital in Zanjan and later to Tehran’s Pars Hospital following a temporary release on bail, as per the foundation. Her daughter, Kiana Rahmani, emphasized the need for continuous medical care outside of prison, expressing concerns that returning her to detention would endanger her life.
The Foreign Ministry has not yet provided a response to requests for comments, and state media has not covered the situation. Mohammadi, a prominent figure whose arrests have garnered international attention, was detained in December following her criticism of the death of lawyer Khosrow Alikordi. A prosecutor alleged that her comments at Alikordi’s memorial were inflammatory. The Nobel committee previously urged Tehran to release her promptly.
According to the foundation, Mohammadi was admitted to the CCU at Mousavi Hospital in Zanjan from May 1st to May 10th, and subsequently, after a suspension of her sentence, she was transferred by ambulance to the CCU at Pars Hospital in Tehran from May 10th to May 17th.
