Hengaw warns of critical health conditions facing Narges Mohammadi and other political prisoners
Hengaw – Saturday, April 18, 2026
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has voiced deep concern over the deteriorating health of Narges Mohammadi, a human rights activist and recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, warning that her continued denial of access to specialized medical care places her life at serious risk.
According to information received by Hengaw, Mohammadi’s condition has reached a critical stage following cardiac complications and the worsening of underlying illnesses. Despite the urgency of her situation, authorities have blocked her transfer to adequately equipped medical facilities and denied her access to a trusted physician. This amounts to a clear case of deliberate deprivation of medical care and a grave violation of prisoners’ fundamental rights.
Mohammadi was arrested on December 12, 2025, while attending a memorial ceremony for Khosrow Alikurdi in Mashhad, a lawyer who died in custody under suspicious circumstances. She was later sentenced to seven years and six months in prison, along with two years of internal exile. She is currently being held in Zanjan Central Prison.
Conditions for political prisoners across Iran have sharply deteriorated in the aftermath of the January nationwide protests and amid recent political and military developments, including escalating tensions and conflict involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. An increasingly securitized environment, intensified psychological and physical pressure on detainees, and tighter restrictions on contact with the outside world reflect a broader pattern of repression that has intensified further with the near-total disruption of internet access.
Severe internet restrictions not only obstruct independent reporting on the situation inside prisons but also create an environment in which human rights violations can escalate without scrutiny. In such circumstances, the lives of prisoners in urgent need of medical care are placed at even greater risk.
In recent days, the Narges Foundation has also warned about Mohammadi’s continued detention in Zanjan Prison without observing the principle of separation of crimes. It reported that many political prisoners are deliberately held alongside individuals convicted of violent offenses, a practice widely viewed as a means of exerting additional pressure on political and ideological detainees.
