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 totalling 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. 

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.”