Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner in critical condition

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Iranian activist Narges Mohammadi's daughter Kiana Rahmani, son Ali Rahmani, and chairman of the Nobel Committee Norwegian Berit Reiss Andersen attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony at Oslo City Hall on December 10, 2023 in Oslo, Norway. Rune Hellestad/Getty Images Europe

Rune Hellestad/Getty Images Europe

The Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate who is currently serving an 18-year prison sentence in Iran, has been hospitalized in critical condition after collapsing and losing consciousness in jail. The 54-year-old Mohammadi, who suffers from chronic heart and other health issues, is experiencing a "catastrophic deterioration" in her health, according to a statement from her foundation released Friday.

Mohammadi was moved from prison to intensive care Friday at a hospital in the city of Zanjan, a provincial capital northwest of Tehran. According to her foundation's statement, her family and lawyer have requested that she be transferred to specialist care in Tehran upon her medical team's advice, but authorities have refused to allow her to be moved. In March, she suffered a heart attack and lost consciousness in prison, but according to her husband, government authorities declined to take her to any hospital for treatment.

In December 2024, she had been granted a medical furlough from prison due to her ongoing poor health. While still on furlough in December 2025, she spoke out against the Iranian regime at a funeral of a fellow activist, and was arrested again. Mohammadi was then sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of threatening national security. In February, she was to an additional seven and a half years.