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3. UN Chief Urges Iran to Provide Medical Care to Nobel Laureate Amid Abuse Reports

UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday called on Iran to ensure urgent medical care for imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, amid mounting reports of severe health deterioration and alleged abuse in custody.

Guterres expressed concern over Mohammadi’s condition, urging Iranian authorities to guarantee she receives the necessary treatment, as international pressure grows over her detention and treatment in prison.

Reports of abuse and worsening health

The intervention comes as U.S. officials and advocacy groups raise alarm over reports that Mohammadi was subjected to “severe violence and mistreatment” inside prison, including physical assault.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Mike Waltz, said in a statement that the reports indicate she was beaten while in custody, describing her detention as “unjust and arbitrary” and calling on Tehran to immediately halt such practices.

According to the Narges Mohammadi Foundation, the activist was urgently transferred on May 2 to a hospital in the northern city of Zanjan after suffering a sharp deterioration in her health.

The foundation said Mohammadi experienced two episodes of full loss of consciousness and a severe cardiac crisis, describing her condition as “extremely critical” and later “unstable” despite hospitalization.

Her lawyers previously indicated that she had suffered a heart attack in late March, noting visible weight loss and severe weakness requiring assistance to walk.

Allegations of prolonged medical neglect

The foundation accused Iranian authorities of systematic medical neglect, stating that Mohammadi’s transfer came only after 140 days without adequate care, despite repeated medical recommendations for specialized treatment outside prison.

Her family had reportedly been appealing for weeks for her transfer to appropriate medical facilities.

Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while imprisoned, has long been a prominent voice advocating for women’s rights and the abolition of the death penalty in Iran. Her case has increasingly drawn international scrutiny, highlighting broader concerns over the treatment of political detainees in the country and the conditions within its prison system.