The 'Freedom of Narges' Coalition Calls for Global Efforts for the Immediate Release of Nobel Peace Prize Winner

The strategic committee of the international coalition 'Freedom of Narges' has urged world leaders to seize the opportunity of the upcoming United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the immediate and unconditional release of Narges Mohammadi. In a statement on Friday, September 30, the committee highlighted the 'dangerous' health condition of Narges Mohammadi in Evin Prison in recent months and called on UN member states to prioritize concerns about the health of this Nobel Peace Prize laureate in their relations with the Iranian government. The committee condemned the repeated convictions and pressures imposed on Narges Mohammadi by the Iranian security and judicial apparatus and cited the harsh conditions faced by many other political prisoners in Iran as examples of the Islamic Republic's disregard for its commitments as a UN member. It urged the international community to address this issue swiftly and seriously. The 79th session of the UN General Assembly will be held from October 3 to 9 in New York, where Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the 14th government of the Islamic Republic, will also speak. The U.S. State Department expressed concern on Monday, August 29, over reports of Narges Mohammadi being beaten in Evin Prison and called on the Iranian government to stop attacks against human rights defenders and release all unjustly detained prisoners. Narges Mohammadi, who has been in Evin Prison since November 2021, has been denied hospital transfer despite suffering from heart and lung diseases and 'discovery of a mass in her chest.' Since December 8, 2023, she has also been deprived of contact with her family and lawyer due to her refusal to wear a headscarf. Over the past two decades, she has been repeatedly arrested and imprisoned. In her latest legal case, she was sentenced to 10 years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime' and is currently in Evin Prison in Tehran. The strategic committee of the 'Freedom of Narges' coalition is supported by the Narges Foundation, the American PEN Association, Reporters Without Borders, and Front Line Defenders.