Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi's prison hunger strike for women's rights

This year's Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Narges Mohammadi, has launched a hunger strike from inside her prison cell. She is protesting against the denial of medical care to herself and other female inmates and the mandatory hijab law for women in Iran.

The 51-year-old human rights activist, currently detained in Tehran's Evin Prison, was conferred the Nobel Peace Prize in October "for her steadfast opposition to the oppression of women in Iran".

"Narges Mohammadi sent a message to her family from Evin Prison, notifying them that she had initiated a hunger strike a few hours ago. We are deeply worried about her health and general wellbeing," her family stated on Monday.

In a post on platform X, previously Twitter, her family reported that Mohammadi is only consuming water, sugar and salt. She has discontinued her medication.

The family's statement reads, "Narges began her hunger strike today to protest two main issues: the Islamic Republic's policy of neglecting and delaying medical treatment for ill prisoners, and the obligatory wearing of a hijab by women."

The family's statement continued, "The Islamic Republic must bear the responsibility for any harm that befalls our beloved Narges. They have denied her medical assistance for over a week now."

Mohammadi, first arrested 22 years ago, has spent the majority of the past two decades incarcerated for her human rights advocacy in Iran.

Detained since November 2021, she hasn't had the opportunity to see her children, who currently reside in France, for the past eight years.