Narges Mohammadi sent on medical leave

Narges Mohammadi, a imprisoned civil activist, underwent surgery due to a blocked heart artery.

Her husband, Taghi Rahmani, announced the news on Twitter, writing that Narges Mohammadi had been sent on medical leave following surgery.

The political prisoner, who was taken to the hospital on Saturday, February 20, due to breathing problems, was returned to Qarchak Prison in Varamin a few hours later. Taghi Rahmani had described his wife's re-transfer to prison as "revenge" and Qarchak Prison as a "torture chamber."

Narges Mohammadi, spokesperson and vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders, has been arrested and imprisoned numerous times since 2009.

His arrest took place on November 15th of this year during the second anniversary of the killing of Ebrahim Kebatdar, one of those killed in the November 2019 protests. After two months of solitary confinement, this human rights activist was transferred from Evin Prison to Qarchak Prison in late January.

Qarchak Women's Prison is one of the prisons where a number of former political prisoners have spoken of inadequate conditions and a lack of food, health, and medical facilities.

In her latest case, Narges Mohammadi has been sentenced to eight years in prison, 74 lashes, a two-year ban on activities in political institutions and parties, and a two-year ban on activities on social media in Branch 26 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court.

Prior to this new sentence, this human rights activist was sentenced to 30 months in prison and 80 lashes in another case due to his protest sit-in in prison.

These judicial sentences were issued to Narges Mohammadi despite the fact that all of her activities in recent years have been civil and peaceful.

Opposition to the death penalty, support for the families of those killed in nationwide protests, defense of political prisoners, protesting against long-term solitary confinement, providing information about the conditions of prisons, and reporting on physical and mental torture are among Narges Mohammadi's activities.

This human rights activist had previously been sentenced to 16 years in prison (10 years enforceable) in one of his cases. After serving eight years of this sentence, he was released from prison in October 2020.

Following these repeated imprisonments, Narges Mohammadi contracted muscular paralysis in prison, and her family has repeatedly said that the prison conditions exacerbated her illness.

During this time, the United States, the European Union, and human rights organizations have repeatedly called on Iranian authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Narges Mohammadi from prison.

Source: Voice of America