An imprisoned Iranian Christian convert who has a heart condition and was recently assaulted by a prison guard has gone on hunger strike.

According to Article18’s sources, Amir-Ali Minaei will also cease taking his medication in protest against the denial of access to a telephone during his ongoing incarceration.

The 31-year-old, who also recently fractured a bone in his right leg, has been in Evin Prison since last April, serving a sentence of three years and seven months for “propaganda activities against the regime through establishing a house-church”. 

The sentence was handed down in March 2024 by notorious Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari, who also sentenced Amir-Ali to deprivation of social rights – such as membership of any organisation – following his imprisonment.

Amir-Ali was first arrested in December 2023 and detained for over two months in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. 

He was then released on bail equivalent to around $10,000, following a series of intensive interrogations.

Amir-Ali’s heart condition was diagnosed between his release on bail and his sentencing, and is understood to have been caused directly by the stress he was placed under during his initial detention and the threat of further imprisonment. 

Nevertheless, every request that he has made to be referred to a cardiologist during his imprisonment has been rejected, and after his most recent request, Amir-Ali was assaulted by a prison officer, worsening his condition.

Amir-Ali applied for conditional release in January, but his request was blocked by Ministry of Intelligence agents due to his perceived lack of “cooperation” with them.

Article18’s Mansour Borji explained: “Detainees are often compelled to accept extrajudicial conditions as a prerequisite for receiving benefits such as temporary furlough, pardon, or early release. Authorities and interrogators seek to leverage these individuals as informants, or ‘collaborators’, requiring them to resume their daily lives while covertly gathering intelligence on other Christians and their activities. This practice constitutes a form of coercion, further infringing upon the detainees’ rights and subjecting them to ongoing surveillance and undue pressure.”

He added: “We are extremely concerned about Amir-Ali, especially given his heart condition, and call on the Iranian authorities to immediately reinstate his access to a telephone. 

“We also call on them to immediately and unconditionally release this young man, whose only ‘crime’ was to meet together with his fellow believers for prayer and worship. 

“The Islamic Republic must stop persecuting Christians – and especially converts to Christianity – in line with its obligations under the international covenants it freely signed and even its own Constitution.”