A Christian convert and former asylum-seeker who was sentenced to two years in prison on her return to Iran has been released conditionally after over 15 months in jail.

Laleh Saati, 46, was released from Tehran’s Evin Prison on Saturday, 31 May, on the condition that she refrains from speaking with any media or other contacts abroad, according to the Persian-language website Human Rights in Iran.

Laleh was also reportedly informed that her two-year travel ban, which was part of her sentence, will now come into force.

According to Human Rights in Iran, the Christian convert spent her final weeks in prison in the infamous Ward 209, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, and as a result is in a “psychologically unstable state”.

There have been concerns over Laleh’s mental health throughout her imprisonment, which began in February 2024, especially after she was denied parole and medical treatment.

Both she and her mother were also reportedly threatened with another conviction last summer as a result of the publicity Laleh’s case received. 

After her sentencing in March 2024, Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, said that “Laleh’s case clearly shows that the Christian activities of asylum-seekers in foreign countries can be used against them in court proceedings back in Iran”. 

Among the evidence used to convict the Christian convert were photographs and videos of her Christian activities and baptism in Malaysia, where Laleh had claimed asylum, before returning in 2017, having grown frustrated at the time it was taking to process her claim, and also to be reunited with her elderly parents.

Mr Borji added: “I hope immigration authorities around the world will take note of this, and think twice before rejecting out of hand the asylum claims of genuine Christians who may face persecution upon return to their country of origin.”