Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi is facing a “slow death” in prison as Tehran prosecutors continue to block her release on medical leave despite official medical recommendations, according to her family and foundation.
The Narges Foundation said Iran’s Legal Medicine Organization in Zanjan had officially confirmed Mohammadi needs at least one month of medical leave, but Tehran’s prosecutor is still preventing her release and judicial authorities are refusing to send her to hospital.
Her lawyers, who visited her on April 28, described her condition as “critical.”
According to the statement, Mohammadi’s blood pressure has fluctuated dangerously between 15 and 17 in recent days and has not responded to medication. She has also lost more than 19 kilograms and is suffering from chest pain, headaches and recurring nausea.
Mohammadi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her advocacy for human rights and freedom for all.
She has spent much of the past decade in and out of prison over her activism against compulsory hijab laws, the death penalty and the Islamic Republic’s treatment of political prisoners.
She was most recently arrested in December 2025 after attending the funeral of dissident lawyer Khosro Alikordi.
Her repeated detentions and reported denial of medical treatment have drawn widespread condemnation from international rights organizations and Western governments.
Two cardiology specialists in Zanjan reportedly said she cannot be treated there and should instead be placed under the care of her doctor at Pars Hospital in Tehran.
French lawyer Shirin Ardakani called the denial of vital medical treatment “a form of torture.”
Mohammadi’s brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi, described the situation as a “slow death,” while her daughter Kiana Rahmani said more than 138 days of medical neglect have pushed her mother to the brink of death.
