Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi Denied Hospital Care After Heart Attack in Iranian Prison
Cellmates found the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize winner unconscious with cold limbs in Zanjan Central Prison on March 24. Iranian authorities refused to transfer her to a hospital despite a pre-existing cardiac condition requiring a heart stent.
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi suffered a suspected heart attack on March 24 inside Iran's Zanjan Central Prison and was denied hospital transfer or specialist medical care, according to a joint statement from the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT).
Cellmates found Mohammadi unconscious in her bed with her eyes rolled back and cold limbs. The episode lasted more than an hour. Fellow inmates carried her to the women's ward infirmary, where medication was administered to restore consciousness. Despite the emergency, Iranian authorities refused to transfer her to a hospital.
Deteriorating health
Mohammadi, 54, has a pre-existing cardiac condition requiring a heart stent. A specialist had urgently recommended angiography following a previous loss of consciousness, but rather than proceeding with the examination, authorities transferred her to Zanjan Prison.
Her legal team visited on March 29 and reported that her condition was "extremely poor" -- she appeared pale, weak, and had lost significant weight. The prison doctor who examined her confirmed she had suffered a heart attack.
Beyond the cardiac episode, Mohammadi suffers from persistent headaches, nausea, and double vision severe enough to prevent her from reading. She still bore visible bruises 107 days after her arrest on December 12, 2025, during which she was subjected to what the Free Narges Coalition described as "severe and repeated blows to her head."
Prison conditions
Mohammadi is housed alongside prisoners convicted of murder and drug trafficking. Her communications are restricted to three-minute phone calls with siblings only. All contact with lawyers has been banned, and visits are conducted under mandatory surveillance by prison authorities.
On March 31, U.S. and Israeli airstrikes struck several kilometers from Zanjan Prison, adding wartime danger to an already perilous detention.
Escalating sentences
Mohammadi has spent years cycling through Iran's prison system for her human rights advocacy. On February 7, 2026, a Mashhad Revolutionary Court sentenced her to an additional six years for "assembly and collusion against national security" and 18 months for "propaganda against the state." She now faces approximately 18 years of imprisonment across multiple sentences.
She launched a hunger strike in early February, shortly before the new sentencing was announced.
International demands
The Free Narges Coalition -- which includes FIDH, OMCT, Front Line Defenders, PEN America, and Reporters Without Borders -- has demanded Iran grant Mohammadi immediate medical furlough and release her on humanitarian grounds. Amnesty International has separately called for her immediate and unconditional release.
Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize "for her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all." Her children accepted the prize on her behalf while she remained imprisoned.