Christian Citizen “Laleh Saati” Denied Access to Medical Facilities

“Laleh Saati,” a Christian citizen imprisoned in Evin Prison, has been denied access to medical facilities and specialized medical examinations.

Laleh Saati was arrested on February 13, 2024, when security forces raided her father’s home in Tehran. On March 17, she was tried by Judge Iman Afshari, head of Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, on charges of “acting against national security” through religious activities and attendance at house churches following her return to Iran, as well as contents found on her mobile phone, including documentation and videos of her baptism in Malaysia and images of her activities at a church in Malaysia. On March 26, she was sentenced to two years in prison and two years of travel ban on the charge of “acting against national security through contact with Zionist Christian organizations.”

According to reports from Iran’s human rights organization, Laleh Saati had been living in Malaysia and returned to Iran in 2017 due to the prolonged asylum review process, economic hardship, and the loneliness of her elderly parents. After returning to Iran, she faced repeated pressure and multiple interrogations by security forces.

During her last prison visit with her mother, Laleh Saati’s psychological distress became apparent. The prosecutor, acting as a judicial officer along with the Ministry of Intelligence as a security officer, opposed her release with court-supervised probation. Given these circumstances, Ms. Saati requires referral to a medical center and neurological examinations. Ms. Saati’s mother appealed to Branch 26 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court and presented explanations regarding her daughter’s legal case to Judge Iman Afshari, requesting either a reduction in her sentence or her release with court-supervised probation. However, after her request was rejected by Judge Iman Afshari, it became contingent on confirmation by the prosecutor and the Ministry of Intelligence, pending notification of the final ruling by Tehran Province’s Court of Appeals.

The Islamic Republic government has for decades imprisoned Christians on baseless charges such as acting against national security or propaganda against the system, without any valid evidence, and in many cases subjected them to torture.