CIVICUS global civil society alliance calls for the immediate release and urgent medical care for Iranian woman human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi.
We are gravely concerned for her health and safety as she remains “between life and death,” following hospitalisation. She reportedly suffered a cardiac crisis and episodes of unconsciousness after enduring months without adequate medical care in prison.
Mohammadi has long been targeted due to her peaceful human rights activism. This includes her advocacy for women’s rights, prison reform, and the abolition of the death penalty. Her continued imprisonment, despite her worsening medical condition, reflects a broader pattern of reprisals against those who challenge state abuses. It highlights Iranian authorities’ systematic repression of civic freedoms and persecution of dissenting voices.
Narges Mohammadi is featured in our Stand As My Witness campaign. Her case symbolises the extreme risks faced by human rights defenders in Iran. The campaign calls for the release of imprisoned human rights defenders.
Iran was added to the CIVICUS Monitor watchlist and remains rated as “Closed,” the lowest category for civic space. It is among the most repressive countries in the world for civic freedoms - speech, association, and protests. Authorities routinely use arbitrary detention, judicial harassment, censorship and intimidation to silence activists, journalists, and women human rights defenders.
Iran’s civic space situation has deteriorated even further following US and Israeli attacks and the authorities’ intensified crackdown in response. The escalation in regional conflict is used by Iranian authorities to justify sweeping restrictions on fundamental freedoms. They include nationwide internet shutdowns, censorship, mass arrests, and increased surveillance of activists, journalists, and protesters.
CIVICUS calls on the Iranian authorities to:
- Immediately and unconditionally release Narges Mohammadi;
- Provide urgent access to appropriate medical treatment of her choosing;
- End the harassment and criminalisation of human rights defenders and peaceful critics;
- Respect Iran’s international human rights obligations, including the protection of freedom of expression and the rights of detainees.
