Narges Mohammadi: The Iranian regime is seeking the “quiet death” of the Nobel Peace Prize winner, who is believed to have cancer, according to his family

CNN
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The family of jailed human rights activist Narges Mohammadi has accused the Iranian regime of trying to bring about her “slow death” by denying her vital surgery to confirm her cancer diagnosis.

In an exclusive statement to CNN on Monday, the family accused Iranian authorities of “endangering her life” by denying her access to the biopsy needed for a “clear diagnosis” of bone cancer.

This came after her lawyer Mostafa Nili said on Sunday that doctors had recently discovered a “bone lesion in her right leg, which is suspected to be cancerous.”

Mohammadi has been an inmate of Tehran's Evin Prison, notorious for housing critics of the Iranian regime, for most of the last two decades. She received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.”

“The government of the Islamic Republic is risking Narges Mohammadi's life and effectively seeking a 'quiet death' without taking direct responsibility,” said the Narges Foundation, which is run by her family.

The family warned that further delays in Mohammadi's treatment could prove “fatal”. The activist has already had to wait nine weeks for the final hospital transfer, during which the potentially cancerous lesion was discovered.

Her family and attorney are now demanding “immediate medical leave” to both perform the biopsy and treat a number of other health issues she is struggling with. According to her lawyer, a recent MRI revealed the progression of arthritis and disc disease, while doctors have also called for another angiogram on one of her heart arteries after she suffered a heart attack in 2021.

Years of consecutive incarceration and, at times, prolonged solitary confinement “have severely affected (Mohammadi's) health and left her with ailments that cannot be resolved by a brief, incomplete hospital visit,” her family stressed.

Iranian authorities told CNN: “Unfortunately, we do not comment on human rights issues.”

Prominent figures such as former US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton have joined calls for Iranian authorities to release Mohammadi.

“By denying her the medical care she needs, Iranian prison authorities are slowly killing imprisoned activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi,” Clinton warned in a post on her official social media last Friday.

Even in prison, Mohammadi continued to campaign tirelessly for human rights, campaigning strongly for the rights of Iranian women and calling for a peaceful solution to the Gaza war.