Rights Defender Imprisoned In Iran Needs ‘Immediate Surgery’

Radiofarda – Human rights defender Narges Mohammadi who is incarcerated at Iran’s notorious Evin prison must immediately undergo surgery, according to her attorney.

Mahmoud Behzadi Rad told the official IRNA news agency that Mohammadi was taken from prison to hospital April 27 and after an MRI exam was returned to prison.

According to the attorney, doctors concluded that she needs an immediate operation because of complications with her uterus. Earlier he had announced that the prison had agreed to her visit to a hospital for examinations, pending agreement from the prosecutors.

It is not clear yet if and when prosecutors will allow Mohammadi to undergo surgery.

Ms. Mohammadi, a physicist, has been imprisoned several times, but her last arrest was in 2015 after meeting with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton at the time. She had been sentenced to 16 years accused of activities against the Islamic Republic system and rearrested to serve the remainder of her sentence.

She has been awarded several prestigious prizes, including the American Physical Society’s 2018 Andrei Sakharov Prize for outstanding leadership and achievements by scientists in upholding human rights, but was not able to receive the honor in person as she is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence in Iran.

Her lawyer says that she has already served enough of her jail term to be eligible for release.