Nobel Prize winner Narges Mohammadi goes on hunger strike in jail

Jailed Iranian human right activist Narges Mohammadi has begun a hunger strike, a month after she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, her family says.

The 51-year-old is protesting against Iran’s denial of medical care to her and other inmates and its mandatory hijab law, according to a statement.

She needs treatment for heart and lung conditions but a prosecutor is blocking her transfer to hospital, it says.

Last week, her family said that was because she refused to cover her hair.

The chairwoman of the Norwegian Nobel Committee - which awarded Ms Mohammadi the peace prize for “her fight against the oppression of women in Iran” - said it was deeply concerned.

“The requirement that female inmates must wear a hijab in order to be hospitalised is inhumane and morally unacceptable,” Berit Reiss-Andersen said, according to AFP news agency.

There was no immediate comment from Iran’s judiciary or prison authorities._BBC