Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi transferred to Tehran hospital, granted bail suspension

May 11, 2026

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, 54, has been transferred from Zanjan prison to Tehran Pars Hospital on May 11, 2026, and granted a sentence suspension on heavy bail after suffering two suspected heart attacks earlier in the year. The Iranian human rights activist, who was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her work against female oppression, has 18 years remaining on her sentence after being convicted of propaganda and collusion charges. Her family and foundation warn that temporary medical release is insufficient and that she requires permanent specialized care, with her brother stating any return to prison could be fatal. Mohammadi has spent more than a decade of her life imprisoned and serves as vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran.

Hospital transfer on bail

▪Narges Mohammadi was transferred from jail to a Tehran hospital on May 11, 2026.
▪Narges Mohammadi had spent 10 days at a hospital in Zanjan before being transferred to Tehran.
▪Narges Mohammadi was transferred to Tehran Pars Hospital to be treated by her own medical team.
▪Narges Mohammadi was serving her sentence at a hospital in Zanjan, about 265km north-west of Tehran.
▪Narges Mohammadi was given a temporary release from Tehran's Evin prison in December 2024 on medical grounds.

Suspected heart attacks

▪Narges Mohammadi was found unconscious by fellow inmates at Zanjan prison in April 2026 after suffering a suspected heart attack.
▪Narges Mohammadi suffered two suspected heart attacks earlier in 2026.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate

▪Narges Mohammadi was awarded the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize for her activism against female oppression in Iran and promoting human rights.
▪Narges Mohammadi is vice-president of the Defenders of Human Rights Center in Iran.

Multiple prison sentences

▪Narges Mohammadi has 18 years remaining on her sentence.
▪Narges Mohammadi began serving a 13-year sentence in 2021 on charges of committing propaganda activity against the state and collusion against state security.
▪Narges Mohammadi was sentenced in early February 2026 by a Revolutionary Court to an additional seven-and-a-half years in prison after being convicted of gathering and collusion and propaganda activities.
▪Narges Mohammadi was arrested in December 2025 for making provocative remarks at a memorial ceremony.

Family demands permanent release

▪Hamidreza Mohammadi warned that any return to prison would again cause severe problems for Narges Mohammadi and eventually her death.
▪Taghi Rahmani stated that Narges Mohammadi must never be returned to the conditions that broke her health.
▪The Narges Mohammadi Foundation stated that a suspension is not enough and that Narges Mohammadi requires permanent, specialised care.
▪Hamidreza Mohammadi is Narges Mohammadi's Oslo-based brother.
▪The Narges Mohammadi Foundation called for Narges Mohammadi's unconditional freedom and the dismissal of all charges.

Perspective of Narges Mohammadi's family and foundation

▪The Narges Mohammadi Foundation argues that a sentence suspension is inadequate because Narges Mohammadi requires permanent, specialized medical care.
▪Hamidreza Mohammadi warns that returning Narges Mohammadi to prison would cause severe health problems and eventually lead to her death.