Imprisoned Nobel Laureate Narges Mohammadi's Hunger Strike Spotlights Iranian Injustice
- Posted on November 7, 2023
- International Affairs
- By Arijit Dutta
- 242 Views
Prominent human rights activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has initiated a hunger strike while incarcerated in Iran, drawing widespread attention to the Iranian government's treatment of its political prisoners. Her hunger strike, which began after she was denied essential medical care, highlights the pressing issues faced by inmates in Iranian prisons.
Prominent human rights activist and
Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has initiated a hunger strike while
incarcerated in Iran, drawing widespread attention to the Iranian government's
treatment of its political prisoners. Her hunger strike, which began after she
was denied essential medical care, highlights the pressing issues faced by
inmates in Iranian prisons.
Mohammadi, who has been a target of the
Iranian authorities for her years of activism, sent a message from Evin Prison
claiming that her hunger strike had begun "several hours ago." Her
poor health, which includes three vein blockages and high blood pressure, has
generated severe worries. She had requested a transfer to a specialty hospital
for heart and lung care but had been denied because she refused to wear a headscarf.
Mohammadi's family issued a statement
saying that her hunger strike is a protest against the Iranian government's
policy of ignoring medical care for sick detainees and the required headscarf
requirement for women. They emphasized that she was just taking water, sugar,
and salt and was refusing treatment, and they held the Islamic Republic
responsible for any potential harm to her.
Nasrin Sotoudeh, another imprisoned
activist and lawyer, is likewise in desperate need of medical attention, which
she has not gotten. She was detained for attending the burial of Armita
Geravand, a 17-year-old who died as a result of an alleged morality police
attack for wearing an inappropriate hijab.
The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which
bestowed the Peace Prize on Mohammadi, expressed grave worry about her health.
They asked Iranian authorities to provide her and other female convicts with
appropriate medical care, calling the requirement to wear hijab for medical
care "morally unacceptable."
Despite international outrage, Iranian
officials and state-controlled media failed to mention Mohammadi's hunger
strike, as is customary in cases involving dissidents. The Iranian delegation
to the UN did not reply to demands for comment.
Narges Mohammadi received the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her activism against women's persecution in Iran, as well as her promotion of human rights and freedom. Her arrest the previous November came after she attended a memorial for a victim of the violent 2019 demonstrations.
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In Iran, the obligatory hijab law
remains a divisive topic, with women subject to severe dress code requirements.
Recent events, such as the murder of Mahsa Amini, who was detained for wearing
an inappropriate hijab, have sparked significant demonstrations, resulting in
injuries and arrests. Despite international pressure to address these problems,
the Iranian government has not made major modifications to existing
legislation, instead imposing tougher punishments for hijab infractions.
Armita Geravand's death in late October,
following a head injury in the Tehran Metro, fuelled the discussion about hijab
laws, with protestors saying that she was beaten by female morality police
officials.