The Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies has sent a new open letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader, appealing for the human rights defender Narges Mohammadi, recipient of the 2023 Nobel Peace Prize, to be granted immediate access to life-saving specialized treatment in Tehran.
Narges Mohammadi’s health has seriously deteriorated and reliable reports indicate that she suffered a serious cardiac event on 1 May. She reportedly has been transferred to a local hospital in Zanjan, near the prison where she has been incarcerated.
The Committee stresses that Mohammadi has suffered from serious heart and neurological problems for a number of years and appeals, in light of her grave ill-health, for her immediate transfer to Tehran on humanitarian grounds so that she can receive life-saving care from her specialized medical team.
The letter:
Stockholm 11 May 2026
Your Excellency:
We are writing to respectfully request your urgent assistance with the deeply troubling situation of our professional colleague, Ms. Narges Mohammadi, who has been imprisoned in Zanjan and has suffered a serious deterioration in her health over the past few days. We understand that she is in critical need of specialized treatment without which her life is at risk.
Reliable reports indicate that Ms. Mohammadi suffered a serious cardiac event on May 1 and has lost consciousness a number of times. She reportedly has been transferred to a local hospital in Zanjan, near the prison where she has been incarcerated. Ms. Mohammadi has suffered from serious heart and neurological problems for a number of years—including most recently a heart attack in March 2026. Late last year, while she was on a medical furlough to enable her to receive much needed care from her medical specialists in Tehran, she was arrested again and returned to prison.
In light of her grave ill-health and documented history of heart disease, we respectfully ask you, on humanitarian grounds, to take all necessary steps to ensure that Ms. Mohammadi is transferred to Tehran as a matter of utmost urgency, so that she can receive life-saving care from her specialized medical team.
Thank you for your attention to this matter of utmost importance.
Respectfully yours,
Stefan Svallfors
Professor, Chairman of the Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies
The Human Rights Committee of Sweden’s Scientific and Literary Academies includes members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Royal Swedish Academy of Letters, History and Antiquities, the Swedish Academy and the Young Academy of Sweden.
