Narges Mohammadi, the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate and an outspoken Iranian human rights activist, has suffered significant violence at the hands of prison authorities in Tehran’s Evin Prison. This came to light after Mohammadi led a protest against the impending execution of 30 political prisoners, including Reza Rasaei, and was met with a violent crackdown. Her lawyer, Mostafa Nili, along with Women Press Freedom, reported that prison guards inflicted a severe chest injury on her, raising concerns about her medical condition and treatment.
The incident follows Mohammadi’s detention since November 2021. Alongside other female prisoners, Mohammadi protested in the prison yard, an act that led to a violent response from both the Ministry of Intelligence and anti-riot prison guards. According to her husband, Taghi Rahmani, who lives in exile in Paris, she experienced acute breathing difficulties potentially indicative of cardiac arrest, but was denied transfer to a hospital.
The recent events are set against the backdrop of increasing executions in Iran, with 29 prisoners executed over two days, including Rasaei. This swift increase in death penalties has drawn international condemnation, with UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk calling the surge “alarming”. In response to the allegations of violence, Iranian authorities have denied any misconduct, attributing the confrontation to Mohammadi’s instigation.
Mohammadi’s ongoing detention and her latest injuries have heightened concerns about her deteriorating health, accentuated by previously existing conditions such as acute back and knee pain and a blocked coronary artery. Despite the prison doctor’s recommendations for hospital care, these were reportedly ignored by the prison authorities.
This development has led to renewed calls for Mohammadi’s immediate and unconditional release. In June, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran Javaid Rehman and other individual experts issued a statement urging the Iranian government to end its harassment of Mohammadi and to release all women human rights defenders under arbitrary detention.
Mohammadi, who is currently serving multiple sentences adding up to over 13 years, has been charged with “propaganda activities against the state” primarily due to her activism within the prison system. The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention has classified her imprisonment as arbitrary. For more details on this pressing issue, you can read the full article here.