Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi gets 3-week reprieve from prison in Iran after surgery

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi was released temporarily from prison Wednesday after undergoing a complex surgery in Iran that saw part of a bone in her right leg removed over cancer fears, her supporters said.

A campaign on Mohammadi's behalf said she would be free for 21 days, but would have to serve the remaining prison time later. The Iranian government did not immediately acknowledge the medical furlough for Mohammadi, 52, which her supporters demanded should involve her being permanently freed.

“A 21-day suspension of Narges Mohammadi’s sentence is inadequate,” the campaign said. “After over a decade of imprisonment, Narges requires specialized medical care in a safe, sanitary environment — a basic human right. As doctors have emphasized, a minimum of three months’ recovery is crucial for her healing.”

It added: “Narges should never have been imprisoned in the first place for her peaceful advocacy for human and women’s rights — the very work that earned her the Nobel Peace Prize.”

Mohammadi is serving prison sentences totaling 13 years and nine months on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran’s government. She has kept up her activism despite numerous arrests by Iranian authorities and spending years behind bars. That includes backing the nationwide, women-led protests sparked by the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.

Mohammadi suffered multiple heart attacks while imprisoned before undergoing emergency surgery in 2022, her supporters say. In November of this year, her lawyer announced that doctors found a bone lesion that they feared could be cancerous, leading to her surgery.

“We are hugely relieved by Narges Mohammadi’s temporary release today from Evin prison, which is an important step in the right direction," said Rebecca Vincent of Reporters Sans Frontières. “We remain deeply concerned by her worrying health situation and urge the Iranian authorities to grant her sufficient time at home to allow for her full recovery.”

Iran’s economy has been in tatters for years because of sanctions imposed by the West. Its people are angry over the devaluation of their currency and government corruption. That’s fueled protests, as well as a government crackdown on dissent.

The return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January has stoked concerns for some that he may resume his “maximum pressure” campaign on the Islamic Republic.