Vertebral Fracture of ‘Aida Najafloo’ and Lack of Medical Treatment in Evin Prison
The spinal fracture of ‘Aida Najafloo’, a Christian citizen, demonstrates the severe conditions of religiously imprisoned inmates and the lack of medical attention in Iranian prisons.
Aida Najafloo, a Christian citizen detained in the women’s ward of Evin Prison, fell from her bed on the morning of Sunday, November 1st. Following this incident, her T12 vertebra was fractured. According to reports, after the fall she was initially transferred to Taleghani Hospital for imaging but, despite the diagnosis of fracture, was returned to prison without receiving proper treatment.
After protests by other political and ideological prisoners, Evin Prison authorities transferred her to Shahid Beheshti Hospital of Tajrish, where doctors recommended emergency surgery and prescribed a long-term treatment course accompanied by specialized care and physiotherapy.
Najafloo has been held in Evin Prison since April 14, 2025. Previously, due to suffering from rheumatism and difficulty using the bunk bed, she had requested transfer to a lower bed, a request that went unanswered.
Reports indicate that Ms. Najafloo was in the recovery period of a major surgery when arrested, but judicial authorities and relevant judges refused to transfer her to a hospital and provide medical services.
Additionally, a bail amount equivalent to 11 billion tomans was set for her temporary release, which her family could not afford, and this has been cited as the primary reason for the continuation of her detention.
The vertebral fracture and acceleration of damage resulting from the fall from the bed, combined with the refusal of proper treatment, is a striking example of the critical conditions of prisoners detained for their religious beliefs in Iran. The request for transfer to a lower bunk due to rheumatism and the disregard for it exemplify a combination of injustice and medical negligence.
The setting of an extremely high bail (11 billion tomans) and the family’s inability to provide it also symbolizes the use of judicial procedures and temporary detention to pressure religious citizens.
This case must be understood within the broader context of suppression of Christian minorities in Iran. Reports indicate that detention, trials on security charges, and medical deprivation have become part of the policy of Iranian judicial and security institutions against citizens who convert to or are active in Christianity.
From an international perspective, these cases have been raised as violations of the right to freedom of religion and belief, as well as the right to access adequate medical care, and human rights organizations have called on Iranian institutions to reconsider the detention procedures and medical care of prisoners from religious minorities.
