Narges Mohammadi Warns About the Condition of Nahid Taghavi, Dual National Prisoner: Pain Has Overwhelmed Her

Narges Mohammadi, in a message from Evin Prison, announced that the judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic are "tormenting and depriving" Nahid Taghavi, a 68-year-old dual national prisoner, "to the brink of losing her health," stating that "for several days, her pain has overwhelmed her." This imprisoned human rights defender emphasized in a message published on her Instagram page on Sunday, June 4, that "the officials of the judiciary are tormenting a sick prisoner to the utmost limit, to the brink of losing her health," and that "this is the second time I have seen Nahid Taghavi, 68, in such a condition." Narges Mohammadi wrote that Nahid Taghavi "is in so much pain that it is clearly visible on her face. She struggles to get out of her bed, goes to the infirmary, where strong painkillers are injected, and then returns to her bed." According to this imprisoned human rights defender, Nahid Taghavi "has been suffering from this pain due to her 220 days in solitary confinement." Nahid Taghavi was arrested in October 2020 and spent 220 days in the solitary confinement of the IRGC's Ward 2-A. Narges Mohammadi states that this Iranian-German dual national prisoner was deprived of "light, air, and space for movement" and had no access to quality food and medical care. This human rights defender, who is currently in the women's ward of Evin Prison, noted that Nahid Taghavi, who suffers from a herniated disc, has had her condition "worsened due to psychological and emotional pressures" and "continuous interrogation pressures," leading to additional ailments such as "cervical disc issues, uncontrollable diabetes, and high blood pressure." The report indicates that Nahid Taghavi was "deprived of access to a specialist doctor until February 2022," and her ability to move her "fingers has diminished." Despite receiving "cortisone injections" in July 2022 and April 2023, she is "once again suffering from the drying of her fingers and severe pain in her neck, back, and hands." Narges Mohammadi emphasized that according to forensic medical orders, Nahid Taghavi "should not be in a stressful and anxiety-inducing environment," yet "both times" she was directly "transferred from the hospital bed to the prison bed." In recent days, several foreign citizens have been released from the prisons of the Islamic Republic and returned to their countries, but a number of dual national prisoners or foreign citizens remain detained in Iran. Observers state that the Islamic Republic intends to use the detention of citizens from other countries, especially dual nationals, as leverage in negotiations with other countries, effectively taking them hostage with false accusations. A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department told Voice of America, "The Islamic Republic has a long history of unjustly imprisoning foreign nationals for use as political leverage. Iranian officials continue to employ cruel human rights violations, including the arbitrary detention of political prisoners on a large scale, sham trials, forced confessions, and hasty executions."