World Medical Association calls for urgent medical care for Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi

The World Medical Association expresses its deep concern over the reported critical health condition of imprisoned human rights defender and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi,  who is still being held in detention.

According to recent reports from her family and foundation, Narges Mohammadi has suffered a severe deterioration in her health, including a cardiac crisis. Her condition follows months of reported denial of timely and adequate specialised medical care, despite a known history of serious cardiovascular illness. Medical assessments from a local cardiologist indicate that she requires urgent treatment and should be transferred without delay to a specialised medical facility in Tehran.

“I am deeply concerned by the reports on Narges Mohammadi’s critical health condition. Denying access to essential medical care to a patient in such a state is a clear violation of the right to health and places her life at immediate risk,” said Dr Jacqueline Kitulu, President of the World Medical Association.

States have a clear obligation to ensure that detainees receive the same standard of healthcare available in the community, without discrimination.

Iran has ratified key international human rights treaties, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which commits it to ensuring the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health for all. This obligation extends to prisoners and requires that necessary medical care be provided promptly and without obstruction.

The WMA calls on the Iranian authorities to ensure that Narges Mohammadi is granted immediate and unrestricted access to appropriate specialised medical care, including transfer to a fully equipped hospital where she can receive treatment from qualified specialists. Medical decisions must be made independently and always in the best interests of the patient.