The activist, whose health has deteriorated, had bone surgery last month.
Prosecutors in Iran have agreed to allow Narges Mohammadi, the jailed activist and Nobel laureate, to leave prison for 21 days to recover from surgery, her foundation said on Wednesday.
For weeks, Ms. Mohammadi’s lawyers had petitioned for her to be given the necessary recovery time and medical attention after an operation on her leg to remove a lesion that was suspected of being cancerous. As her condition worsened, fellow cellmates went on a hunger strike to call for her release, the Narges Foundation said.
When she returns to prison, her sentence will be extended a further 21 days to account for her absence, according to the foundation. It and her family had lobbied for a “medical furlough,” which would have counted toward her prison term.
Ms. Mohammadi, 52, is serving a sentence in a Tehran prison after being convicted of “spreading anti-state propaganda” for her criticism of Iran’s government and its laws curtailing women’s rights.
Her health has deteriorated during her incarceration, including multiple heart attacks in 2022, the foundation said.
She was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2023. Her children accepted the award on her behalf.
Lynsey Chutel is a Times reporter based in London who covers breaking news in Africa, the Middle East and Europe. More about Lynsey Chutel