Free Narges Coalition Welcomes Temporary Release of Narges Mohammadi from Prison in Iran
The Free Narges Coalition welcomes the temporary release of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi from Evin Prison in Iran, after she was granted a 21-day suspension of her sentence and transferred from prison to home in an ambulance on 4 December.
The reprieve fell short of the authorities’ initial promise of one month’s suspension, and far less than the three-month medical furlough recommended by her doctor. Mohammadi recently underwent a complicated surgical procedure to remove a bone lesion in her leg suspected of being cancerous, bearing severe pain while battling several other medical conditions under a long period of detention.
“Coming just a few days after her twin children’s 18th birthday, and less than a week before the anniversary of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony held last year in her absence, we’re hugely relieved by her release, and see this temporary reprieve from prison as an important and necessary first step in her recovery. However, her doctor has recommended a three-month furlough for her to receive the comprehensive range of medical care that is required for her to regain her strength and address a number of outstanding health concerns. We urge the judicial authorities to adhere to the guidance of Iranian medical experts, and to grant Mohammadi access to the full recommended medical treatment and sufficient time to recover. We also continue to call for her full and unconditional release on the grounds that journalism and human rights activism should never be considered a crime punishable by prison time.
On 18 November, ahead of the civil society pre-session in Geneva that kicked off Iran’s review under the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism, more than 45 civil society organizations led by the Free Narges Coalition joined together in a letter calling for urgent international support for Mohammadi. They urged the UN Human Rights Council and other international stakeholders to call on Iranian authorities to grant Mohammadi a medical furlough on humanitarian grounds so that she would be able to receive comprehensive and essential care for a range of serious medical conditions, including recovery from a major surgery performed in mid-November. The following week, the new UN Special Rapporteur for Iran, Mai Sato, as well as the UN’s Fact-Finding Mission on Iran raised concern about Mohammadi’s health and urged her release as a humanitarian gesture.
Narges Mohammadi is a woman human rights defender, journalist, author, and deputy director and spokesperson of the Defenders of Human Rights Centre (DHRC) in Iran. Mohammadi has spent more than 10 years of her life in prison, with her current period of detention starting in November 2021. She is currently serving sentences totalling 13 years and nine months in prison, on charges including committing “propaganda activity against the state” and “collusion against state security.” She is the recipient of numerous international awards for her tireless struggle for human rights, including the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, the 2023 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, the 2023 PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, and the 2022 Reporters Without Borders Prize for Courage.
This statement is issued by the Free Narges Coalition steering committee, and does not necessarily reflect the position of all Coalition members. The steering committee is led by the Narges Foundation, PEN America, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), and Front Line Defenders.
For more information, to get involved, or to support visit: narges.foundation/freenarges/
Contact the steering committee members:
Narges Foundation, [email protected];
Karin Deutsch Karlekar, PEN America [email protected];
Rebecca Vincent, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) [email protected];
and Front Line Defenders, [email protected].
Join us in calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi. #FreeNarges!
