Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate hospitalized with serious health problems

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iranian authorities have authorized the detention Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Narges Mohammadi to be hospitalized after nearly nine weeks of being unwell, an activist advocacy group said on Sunday.

The Free Narges Coalition said Mohammadi should be placed on medical leave to receive comprehensive treatment for multiple ailments. It said that just taking her to hospital would not solve the serious health problems caused by months of neglect and deprivation.

Mohammadi is being held in Iran’s notorious Evin prison, which holds political prisoners and those with ties to the West. She had already served 30 months of imprisonment, to which another 15 months were added in January.

On Saturday, Iranian authorities sentenced her to an additional six months in prison after she protested the execution of another political prisoner in the women’s ward of Evin prison on August 6.

Mohammadi suffers from heart disease, and according to her medical report issued in September, a major artery in her heart developed a serious complication again.

The coalition said it continues to demand Mohammadi’s unconditional release and full access to medical care.

Mohammadi became the 19th woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize and the second Iranian woman after human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003.

Mohammadi, 52, continues her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and years behind bars.