Growing concerns over the health of Christian citizen Amirali Minaei

The health condition of Christian citizen Amir Ali Minaei has been deteriorating, which has raised concerns.

Amir Ali Minaei, a Christian citizen, was arrested by security forces in Tehran on December 6, 2017. He was sentenced to 3 years and 7 months in prison and deprived of social rights on charges of "propaganda against the regime through the activity and establishment of a house church."

After his arrest, he was subjected to intense interrogation in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for 66 days and was temporarily released after posting a bail of 600 million Tomans. His trial was then held in Esfand of the same year (1402), and after being summoned in Ordibehesht 1403, he was transferred to Ward 8 of Evin Prison for execution of the sentence.

Prison security agents and officials put intense pressure on religious believers to obtain information about other Christians, and in exchange for their cooperation, prisoners are given temporary leave, parole, or early release. This pressure also applied to Amir Ali Minaei, but he refused to accept the conditions and refused to provide information about his co-religionists, and this lack of cooperation with the Ministry of Intelligence resulted in his request for conditional release not being approved.

It should be noted that Amir Ali had been suffering from heart problems for a year before his arrest due to the pressures he had endured in previous arrests, which led to him being monitored by a cardiologist. After returning to prison, he experienced these problems again, but his repeated requests for medical care were denied by prison officials.

In recent days, he was severely beaten by a prison guard named Mehdi Salimi for seeking medical attention and monitoring his health. Mehdi Salimi inflicted severe blows to Amir Ali's head and heart, which worsened his condition but prevented him from being sent to a hospital or examined by a cardiologist.

Given that Amir Ali was under the supervision and advice of a doctor during his temporary release, after the execution of the sentence and his return to prison, his request to see a doctor was repeatedly rejected. If his condition worsens, he may be deprived of medical care for two or three weeks due to the arrival of Nowruz, which raises many concerns about his health.

Amir Ali Minaei is one of the Christian citizens who is in such a situation. In addition to him, there are many other such citizens who are in prison and are under so much pressure that even news of their situation is not published and remains secret. These pressures are a symbol of the inhuman treatment and violation of the faith and belief of religious minorities, especially Christians, by the Islamic Republic of Iran.