Deprivation of medical treatment threatens the life of a Christian prisoner in Evin
"Muhasher (Honored) Parandin," a Christian prisoner imprisoned in Evin Prison, is struggling with dangerous tumors and heart disease, while the Islamic Republic's authorities continue to prevent him from being immediately sent to medical centers; an approach that human rights organizations have described for years as "using treatment as a tool of torture and pressure" against prisoners of conscience.
Reports from Evin Prison indicate that the physical condition of Mohsher (Honorable) Parandin, a Christian citizen and prisoner of conscience, has reached a worrying stage, but despite doctors’ advice, he is still denied specialized treatment and urgent surgery. According to published information, this 50-year-old prisoner, who suffers from an acute heart condition, is also suffering from two tumors in the back of his head, near the cerebellum and throat; tumors that, according to the prison doctor, require immediate medical attention.
An informed source told HRANA that one of these tumors has affected Ms. Parandin’s balance and speech, causing noticeable speech impairment. According to the source, the swelling in her throat is now clearly visible, and a lump can be felt under her hair on the back of her head; however, the prosecution and judicial authorities of the Islamic Republic have not only refused to send her for treatment, but have also prevented her from being granted medical leave and parole.
Mohsher Parandin, an artist and painter, mother of one, and head of a family, was previously sentenced to two years in prison by the Revolutionary Court for her religious activities and Christian beliefs. Her case is part of a wider wave of pressure on Christian citizens in Iran, who are often arrested and imprisoned by the Islamic Republic’s security agencies on charges such as “acting against national security” or “propagating Zionist Christianity.”
A review of international reports shows that denying prisoners of conscience access to medical care has become a recurring pattern in the Islamic Republic’s prisons. Religious freedom and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned that Iranian authorities are using access to medical care as a tool to punish, psychologically pressure, and break prisoners. A report by Article 18 on Christian prisoners in Iran emphasizes that many Christian citizens in Evin Prison are denied specialized medical care, even in critical physical conditions.
Similar cases have been recorded in Iran in recent years regarding Christian prisoners. “Maryam Naghash Zargaran,” known as Nasim, a Christian prisoner imprisoned in Evin, was repeatedly denied medical treatment despite suffering from a heart condition and severe physical problems, and went on a hunger strike to protest this situation. Her family said, “The authorities do not pay the slightest attention to Maryam’s physical condition.”
International reports on the situation of Christian prisoners in Iran also show that many of them, after months of interrogation, solitary confinement, and security pressures, face serious illnesses, but are not taken to the hospital even in emergency situations.
Barnabas Aid and Middle East Concern have cited Evin Prison in their reports as one of the main centers of mistreatment of prisoners of conscience and religious beliefs, where medical deprivation, psychological torture, and denial of access to medical services have become commonplace.
"There have been disturbing reports of Christian prisoners being denied medical care, subjected to psychological torture and even physical abuse," reads part of the annual Middle East Concern report.
Despite the Islamic Republic's commitment to respecting citizens' rights and religious freedom in international forums, the security crackdown on converted Christians continues. Many human rights activists believe that what is happening to prisoners like Mohsher Parandin today is not just medical neglect, but part of a deliberate policy of physical and mental exhaustion of prisoners of conscience in the Islamic Republic's prisons; a policy that has turned prisoners' lives into a tool for pressure and repression.
