Foreign Ministry summons Iranian ambassador to address the situation of Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

Eduardo González Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has summoned the Iranian ambassador in Madrid, Reza Zabib, to convey his concern about the situation of women's rights activist Narges Mohammadi, Nobel Peace Prize laureate, "who is in critical health condition after her condition worsened in prison." The minister announced this on Thursday, May 7, during his appearance before the plenary session of Congress to address the Israeli attack on the flotilla and the situation in the Middle East in general. This is the third summons of the Iranian ambassador this year and the second since the beginning of the Israeli and US military offensive against his country. The first meeting took place in early March to convey Spain's "rejection and condemnation" of the "absolutely unjustified attacks by Tehran against numerous Middle Eastern countries," including an EU member like Cyprus, and to demand that these "unjustified actions" "cease immediately." The previous meeting was held on January 13 to convey the minister's "strong condemnation and repulsion" of the repression of "peaceful demonstrations" in the country. "We have maintained a position of total rejection of the war in Iran, an imposed war, imposed also on the Gulf countries, including Iraq and Lebanon, and on most of the countries in the international community that suffer the effects of this unilateral conflict, and particularly the closure of the Strait of Hormuz," Albares stated in Congress. "We also reiterate our constant demand that the human rights of the Iranian people, especially those of women, be respected," the minister continued. “We have supported sanctions in Europe for human rights violations, we have condemned the brutal repression carried out by the Iranian authorities against their population, including the increase in executions, and we will continue to raise our voices against any serious violations by the Iranian regime,” he stated. “I am following with particular concern the situation of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, a great defender of women’s rights in Iran, who is currently, ladies and gentlemen, and I want to draw your attention to this, in critical health after her condition worsened in prison,” he announced. “It is essential that she receive the necessary medical attention, but above all, we demand her immediate release from the Iranian authorities,” he insisted. “Therefore, I inform you that this morning we summoned the Iranian ambassador in Madrid to convey this very point,” he added. Narges Mohammadi, 54, is vice president of the Center for Human Rights Defenders. She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023 while serving a ten-year prison sentence in Tehran, “for her struggle against the oppression of women in Iran and her fight to promote human rights and freedom for all.” According to Amnesty International, Narges Mohammadi has been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment and denied access to adequate medical care to force her to comply with Iran’s “abusive and degrading” mandatory hijab laws. Mohammadi has become known primarily for her advocacy for women's rights and her fight to stop executions in Iran. According to her family, she has suffered brutal beatings at the hands of prison authorities and, after a three-month hunger strike, has suffered what appears to be a heart attack. Although she has been hospitalized in critical condition, there are fears that she will be sent back to prison, where her life would be in danger.

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