Growing Concerns Over Health Condition of ‘Amir Ali Minai’, Christian Citizen
The health condition of ‘Amir Ali Minai’, a Christian citizen, has been deteriorating, causing increased concerns.
Amir Ali Minai, a Christian citizen, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on December 7, 2023 (16 Azar 1402). He was convicted of ‘propaganda against the system through establishing and running a house church’ and sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison and deprivation of social rights.
After his arrest, he was subjected to severe interrogation for 66 days in ward 209 of Evin Prison and was temporarily released on a bail of 600 million tomans. His trial was held in March 1403 (March 2024), and after being summoned in April 1403, he was transferred to ward 8 of Evin Prison to serve his sentence.
Prison security authorities severely pressure prisoners of conscience to obtain information about other Christians, and in exchange for prisoners’ cooperation, they grant temporary furloughs, pardons, or early release. These pressures also applied to Amir Ali Minai, but he refused to accept the conditions and refused to provide information about his fellow believers. This non-cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence resulted in the rejection of his conditional release request.
It should be noted that a year before his arrest, due to pressures he endured during previous detentions, Amir Ali suffered from cardiac problems and was under the care of a cardiologist. After his return to prison, he faced these problems again, but his repeated requests for medical services were denied by prison authorities.
In recent days, while pursuing his health condition and requesting medical services, he was severely beaten by a prison guard named ‘Mehdi Salimi’. Mehdi Salimi inflicted severe blows to Amir Ali’s head and heart, worsening his condition, but prevented him from being sent to the infirmary or being examined by a cardiologist.
Although Amir Ali was under medical supervision and consultation during his temporary release, after serving his sentence and returning to prison, he has repeatedly had his requests to see a doctor denied. If his condition worsens, he could be deprived of medical care for two or three weeks due to the approaching New Year holidays, which raises many concerns about his health condition.
Amir Ali Minai is one of the Christian citizens living in such conditions. Beyond him, many other Christian citizens are imprisoned and subjected to severe pressures, with no information about their conditions being released and remaining hidden. These pressures are emblematic of the inhumane treatment and violation of faith and belief of religious minorities, particularly Christians, by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
