Story perspectives

Iran Guards Laureate Mohammadi, RSF Pleads for Macron Transfer

5/6/2026

Summary

Mohammadi Under Guard

Iranian authorities placed laureate Narges Mohammadi under guard in a Zanjan hospital, with supporters saying she is between life and death.
She was arrested on Dec. 12 in Mashhad after criticizing authorities and suffered heart attacks on March 24 and May 1 at Zanjan prison.
Her lawyer Chirinne Ardakani and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) representative Jonathan Dagher urged French President Emmanuel Macron to transfer her to Tehran for treatment by her medical team.

Summary

Frydnes Demands Release

Norwegian Nobel Committee chairman Joergen Watne Frydnes demanded Iran transfer detainee to Tehran and release her.
The committee warned her worsening health threatens freedom and justice in Iran and urged support.
Prosecutor Hasan Hematifar charged her with provocative remarks at Khosrow Alikordi’s memorial in Mashhad, prompting her December arrest.
She was on furlough, barred from leaving Iran, and urged a boycott of the 2024 presidential election, which Masoud Pezeshkian won.

History

Historical Context

In June 2009, incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s contested re-election sparked the Green Movement, leading to mass arrests—Human Rights Watch counted over 5,000 detainees. Decades of that crackdown echo today as Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi endures repeated heart attacks in Zanjan prison, prompting the Norwegian Nobel Committee and UN officials still urgently demand her transfer.

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Mohammadi Under Guard

Iranian authorities placed laureate Narges Mohammadi under guard in a Zanjan hospital, with supporters saying she is between life and death.
She was arrested on Dec. 12 in Mashhad after criticizing authorities and suffered heart attacks on March 24 and May 1 at Zanjan prison.
Her lawyer Chirinne Ardakani and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) representative Jonathan Dagher urged French President Emmanuel Macron to transfer her to Tehran for treatment by her medical team.

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