Laleh Saati, a Christian convert and prisoner of conscience held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, has been denied access to specialised medical care and medical furlough despite suffering a physical injury.

Her condition, caused by a fall in the prison yard that left her two fingers on her left hand bent, has reportedly worsened amid continued obstruction of hospital referrals by security officials handling her case.

According to the Human Rights in Iran website, repeated appeals by Laleh’s mother for her transfer to a medical facility have been rejected by authorities.

Reports indicate that this is not the first time the Christian prisoner has been deprived of proper medical examinations, raising serious concerns about her health and well-being.

Amnesty International has also noted the systemic denial of adequate healthcare to prisoners, particularly minorities, in its annual report on human rights violations in Iran.

Laleh was arrested in February 2024, during a raid on her father’s home in Tehran by intelligence agents.

Following an extended interrogation at Ward 209 of the Ministry of Intelligence, she was transferred to the women’s ward of Evin Prison.

In March 2024, Judge Iman Afshari of Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced her to two years in prison and a two-year travel ban on charges of “acting against national security through connections with Zionist Christian organisations”.

These charges were based on her involvement in religious activities, including participation in house-churches in Iran and pictures of her baptism on her phone from her time in Malaysia.

During her legal proceedings, Laleh was denied the right to choose her own lawyer and was represented only by a court-appointed advocate.

Continued pressure on Christian converts

Laleh’s case reflects a broader pattern of intensifying pressure on Christian converts in Iran. In recent months, several other Christian prisoners have faced similar violations:

• Amir-Ali Minaei, another Christian convert held in Evin, began a hunger strike on 11 April, in protest of his mistreatment. He suffers from a heart condition and has been sentenced to three years and seven months in prison for “propaganda against the regime” through organising house-churches. He also reported being assaulted by a prison guard.

• Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, a long-term Christian prisoner of conscience, went on a 35-day hunger strike in protest of the ongoing persecution of Christians in Iran. After suffering a stroke, he was briefly transferred to a hospital but remains deprived of adequate medical treatment.

• Joseph Shahbazian, another Christian who was re-arrested in February by Ministry of Intelligence agents continues to remain in detention. Joseph was not given a temporary leave to attend his mother’s funeral last Monday, while unconfirmed reports indicate that his wife was also detained just before the funeral.

These cases underscore a sustained campaign of repression against Christian converts in Iran, marked by arbitrary arrests, denial of healthcare, and restrictions on basic legal rights.