One of Iran’s most prominent human rights activists was recently given a three-week medical reprieve from her cell in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was allowed the temporary leave after repeated requests by her lawyers and family that she be granted medical furlough. Mohammadi had undergone the removal of a suspicious tumor and bone-graft surgery on her leg last month. The 21-day leave is far short of the 3-month furlough they requested.
A writer, a former journalist, and deputy director of the Defenders of Human Rights Center, Mohammadi has been arrested, tried, and imprisoned multiple times by Iranian authorities for her peaceful activities on behalf of political prisoners and the rights of women. She was last arrested in 2021 and sentenced to thirteen years in prison. Her health has suffered drastically during her incarcerations.
Well known for her resilience and spirited defiance inside the walls of Evin prison, Mohammadi shouted the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom!” when she arrived home and exited the ambulance on a stretcher at the start of her leave.
News of the decision by the Iranian regime to only allow a brief reprieve for Mohammadi after significant surgery, comes amidst an intensifying focus by Iranian authorities on enforcing the country’s dress code for women. Iran’s parliament recently passed a new “Hijab and Chastity” law which imposes harsh financial and other penalties on women who flout the hijab requirements and on businesses that countenance such women on their premises.
The United States has repeatedly called for Narges Mohammadi’s release, as have the United Nations and a myriad of human rights organizations. At a recent press briefing, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel labeled her situation “deeply troubling and unfortunate:”
“Because she should have never been incarcerated in the first place, and her deteriorating health is a direct result of the abuses that she’s endured at the hands of the Iranian regime. We call again – just as we’ve done before – [for] the immediate and unconditional release of Narges and other political prisoners who continue to be detained without just cause.”
“This is another long example,” said Spokesperson Patel “in the long line of examples, of the Iranian regime’s campaign to silence its critics, silence journalists, silence human rights activists, and this includes Narges Mohammadi. And this kind of behavior needs to stop.”
