Narges Mohammadi was injured along with other female prisoners in clashes in Evin prison. (Dossier)
Geneva:
UN experts accused Iran on Tuesday of failing to provide adequate health care to imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi, who they said was the victim of physical violence earlier this month.
Human rights activist Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 for her campaign, was injured along with other female prisoners in fighting that broke out in Tehran's Evin prison, her family said earlier in August.
According to experts, Mohammadi was “subjected to physical violence” in Evin on August 6, during which she “lost consciousness and sustained injuries to her rib cage and other parts of her body.”
Iranian authorities acknowledged that a confrontation had taken place, but accused Mohammadi of “provocation” and denied that prisoners had been beaten.
Mohammadi, 52, has been in custody since November 2021 and has spent much of the past decade in and out of prison.
“Our deep concerns about the physical and mental integrity of Narges Mohammadi have been conveyed to the Iranian government,” the UN experts said in a joint statement.
“We once again call on the Iranian authorities to release her immediately and ensure that she, like the other detainees, receives full medical care as soon as possible.”
According to medical specialists and scans, Mohammadi had been suffering from acute pain in his back and knees for the past eight months, including a herniated disc in his intervertebral disc.
“The denial of medical care appears to be used to punish and silence Mohammadi in prison. These reports raise serious concerns about her right to health and physical well-being,” the experts said.
The Special Rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council and do not speak on behalf of the United Nations.
They said there is a pattern of prisoner abuse in Iran.
“Such deprivations may amount to torture and inhuman treatment,” they said.
The panel reiterated its “calls for the immediate release of human rights defenders and all other individuals currently being arbitrarily detained in Iranian detention facilities”.
Mohammadi continued to campaign from behind bars, strongly supporting the protests that broke out across Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini in September 2022.
The 22-year-old Iranian Kurd was arrested for allegedly violating Iran's strict dress code for women.
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