The life of a German-Iranian dual national incarcerated in Tehran is in danger, and she is in such pain that she can “barely get out of her bed,” according to a fellow prisoner.
“The life of Nahid Taghavi, a political prisoner, is in danger,” her fellow inmate in Evin prison, prominent rights activist Narges Mohammadi, warned in an Instagram post on June 4.
The 68-year-old Taghavi was arrested at her Tehran apartment in October 2020 and sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison in August 2021 on national security charges that her family denies.
Taghavi was allowed brief medical leave in 2022, but according to her family she was returned behind bars before she could recover.
Taghavi has spent 220 days in solitary confinement, which worsened an existing spinal disc condition, Mohammadi said, adding that she is now also suffering from cervical disc problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.
“She can barely get out of her bed,” according to Mohammadi. “She goes to the infirmary, receives strong painkiller injections and returns to her bed.”
“The pain is so severe, it can be seen on her face,” the activist added.
Western governments have repeatedly accused the Islamic Republic of taking dual and foreign nationals hostage to use them in prisoner swaps or as a bargaining chip in international negotiations.
On June 2, the authorities released one Dane and two Austrian-Iranian nationals in the wake of the release of a Belgian aid worker in exchange for an Iranian diplomat jailed in Belgium in connection with a foiled bomb plot.
A French citizen and a French-Irish national jailed in Iran were also freed last month.
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