German-Iranian on medical furlough ordered back to Tehran jail

A German-Iranian woman has been ordered back to jail in Tehran after several weeks of medical leave despite mounting concerns over her health, her daughter said on Thursday.

Nahid Taghavi, 69, was sent back to Evin prison "arbitrarily and for no clear reason" on Wednesday evening, her daughter Mariam Claren said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.

Taghavi, held in Iran since 2020 on national security charges, had been granted a medical furlough on Jan. 9 under strict conditions comparable to "house arrest," according to her daughter.

"Necessary medical care was almost not possible during this time, since her movements were restricted to 1,000 meters from her apartment," Claren said.

Her supporters have previously said Taghavi suffers from a spinal disc condition, cervical disc problems, diabetes and high blood pressure.

She has now also developed "a painful eye disease in the last weeks, which must be strictly monitored by doctors," Claren said.

Taghavi was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in jail in August 2021 and has been held in solitary confinement in Evin prison, which is notorious for holding political prisoners.

She is among a group of Western passport-holders detained in Iran as part of what rights groups describe as a deliberate policy of hostage-taking by Tehran to extract concessions.

Fellow prisoner and prominent rights activist Narges Mohammadi, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize last year, warned in June that Taghavi's life was in danger.

Mohammadi wrote on Instagram that Taghavi could barely get out of bed, and the pain was "so severe it can be seen on her face."

Taghavi was allowed brief medical leave in 2022, but according to her family she was returned to jail before she could recover.