Narges Mohammadi rushed to hospital after collapse in Iranian prison

Narges Mohammadi was rushed from Zanjan Prison in northwestern Iran to a hospital on Friday, May 1, after collapsing during what her supporters described as a severe cardiac crisis. The transfer came after two episodes of complete loss of consciousness, deepening concern for the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, whose health has deteriorated behind bars.

Her foundation said Mohammadi had fainted twice in prison that same day. Supporters and rights groups had already warned that her life was in serious danger, and they had raised alarms in recent weeks that she may have suffered a heart attack in late March. The latest collapse turned those warnings into another urgent medical emergency.

Mohammadi has spent more than 10 years of her life in prison and has become one of the most visible symbols of women’s rights and anti-death-penalty activism in Iran. The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded her the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for fighting the oppression of women in Iran and promoting human rights and freedom for all, recognition that has done little to shield her from continued confinement and repeated health scares.

Human rights groups say her case reflects a wider pattern in which Iranian authorities withhold medical care from prisoners who challenge the state. UN experts said in 2024 that Iran continued to deny Mohammadi timely and appropriate healthcare despite repeated appeals. Amnesty International has accused Iranian authorities of deliberately denying or delaying adequate treatment, while the International Federation for Human Rights and the World Organisation Against Torture said in April 2026 that she was denied essential medical care after a reported heart attack in prison.

For Mohammadi, the hospital transfer underscored how quickly a prisoner’s health can become another site of state control. For Iran, it renewed scrutiny of a system in which access to specialist cardiac care, and even basic treatment, can be delayed until a collapse forces action. Her case has drawn repeated calls for her immediate release and urgent medical treatment, but the pattern has remained the same: outside pressure rises, and the prison walls close again once global attention fades.