Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was transferred to a hospital in Tehran on May 1, 2026, more than a week after collapsing in prison. She had been granted a temporary suspension of her prison sentence, though the duration of the suspension and bail arrangements have not been disclosed.
Medical Transfer and Condition
According to her family’s foundation, Mohammadi was transported by ambulance to Pars Hospital in Tehran to receive treatment from her own medical team. She had initially been hospitalized in Zanjan after collapsing in her prison cell.
Mohammadi lost consciousness twice and was transferred to a local hospital on May 1. Reports indicate she suffered suspected heart attacks in March and on May 1 while imprisoned in Zanjan. Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, reported a severe drop in blood pressure and difficulty speaking.
While in Zanjan hospital’s cardiac care unit, her blood pressure fluctuated severely, she required oxygen, and could not talk, according to her brother, Hamidreza Mohammadi.
Her lawyer, Chirinne Ardakani, posted a photograph of Mohammadi in hospital, noting she had lost 20 kilograms.
Hamidreza Mohammadi stated she had a pulmonary embolism before her latest imprisonment, and she has a blood clot in her lung requiring blood thinners and monitoring.
Imprisonment and Legal Status
Mohammadi had been imprisoned since December 2025 at Zanjan prison. She was arrested in December 2025 after criticizing the Iranian government at a funeral, while on temporary medical release from Evin Prison. In February 2026, she was sentenced to an additional seven and a half years on charges of conspiracy and propaganda.
Iran-based lawyer Mostafa Nili said the transfer order followed a decision by the Legal Medicine Organization, which determined that due to multiple illnesses, she required treatment outside prison under her own medical team.
Hamidreza Mohammadi, based in Oslo, Norway, noted that medical examiners had previously recommended transfer to Tehran but the decision was blocked, an action he attributed to Iran’s intelligence agency. He expressed relief at her current transfer.
Background
Mohammadi, 53, is a rights activist and advocate for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while imprisoned. She has been arrested numerous times since 1998.
Her family reported health deterioration due to a heavy beating during arrest. Her current imprisonment followed a sentence that included charges of conspiracy and propaganda.
The Nobel committee had called for her transfer to her dedicated medical team in Tehran, warning her life remained at risk without such treatment. Amnesty International described the denial of specialized medical care to Mohammadi as “torture” in early May.