Plight Of Nobel Peace Prize Winner Narges Mohammadi In Iranian Prison

Narges Mohammadi, an Iranian human rights activist and Nobel laureate, started a hunger strike on Monday in an Iranian prison after she was barred from receiving medical care over her refusal to wear a headscarf (hijab). 

In a huge blow to women’s rights, female inmates in Iranian jail were blocked from receiving medical facilities because they refused to wear a headscarf. To express her frustration at being denied access to medical care over hijab laws, she started a hunger strike.

What happened to Narges Mohammadi?

Narges Mohammadi was diagnosed with two severe vein blockages and high lung pressure. Last week, the doctor ordered her to undergo an off-site coronary angiogram and lung scan. However, she was refused a transfer from Evin prison. The prison’s warden refused to send her out of the prison without a headscarf (hijab). 

Narges Mohammadi said she would not wear the “forced hijab” for medical treatment. Her family mentioned that Narges Mohammadi had an echocardiogram but did not reveal detail about the ailments she had.

Narges Mohammadi began a hunger strike on Monday to express her frustration at being denied access to medical care and to protest against Iranian hijab laws. 

Lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh, another activist who is behind bars, was also denied access to medical care over her refusal to wear a headscarf. She was arrested for not wearing a headscarf.

Female inmates protested in the prison for two days and nights, demanding medical treatment for Narges Mohammadi. However, the Iranian authorities said that they would not transfer Narges Mohammadi to a heart hospital unless she agreed to wear the hijab.

Iran’s Narges Mohammadi wins Nobel Peace Prize

Iran’s Narges Mohammadi won the Nobel Peace Prize for her “fight against the oppression of women in Iran.” In October, Narges Mohammadi, the Iranian women rights’ activist, was awarded with the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize. The committee honored her for “her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

After winning the prestigious award, Narges Mohammadi called the Iranian laws forcing women to wear a hijab “a means of control and repression.”

Nasrin Sotoudeh said that the Islamic Republic “is responsible for anything that happens to our beloved Narges.”