Imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi commenced a hunger strike on Monday in protest of the penitentiary’s alleged failure to grant her access to essential medical care, as reported by the activist HRANA news agency.
This dedicated advocate for women’s rights was honored with the Nobel Prize on October 6, which served as a pointed reprimand to the theocratic authorities in Tehran. These leaders accused the Nobel committee of interference and politicization in the realm of human rights.
HRANA reported that authorities denied the 51-year-old activist access to a specialized hospital for heart and lung treatment the previous week, citing her refusal to adhere to the compulsory headscarf requirement for the visit. Iran’s judiciary did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters.
The hunger strike initiated by Mohammadi is a poignant plea for her demands to be met, notably the transfer to a specialized medical facility. HRANA emphasized that this deprivation persists under the directive of prison authorities.
On October 29 and 30, Narges Mohammadi, alongside a group of incarcerated women in Iran’s Evin prison, voiced their discontent regarding the prison authorities’ unwillingness to facilitate her medical treatment at a hospital, as stated in a release by Narges’ family relayed to Reuters.
In a statement dated November 1, before the announcement of the Nobel laureate’s hunger strike, it was made clear that she was willing to jeopardize her life by rejecting the “forced hijab,” even when seeking essential medical care.
Narges Mohammadi is currently serving multiple sentences that cumulatively amount to approximately 12 years of imprisonment, all stemming from charges such as disseminating propaganda against Iran.
