Female Christian prisoner denied medical care in Iran prison

A female Christian prisoner is reportedly suffering from health problems, but prison authorities have refused to give her the necessary medical care.

Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a 37-year-old woman who is presently incarcerated in Evin prison in Tehran, has been experiencing pain in her ear coupled with nausea. Medical staff told her not to move her head and that she might need surgery if her symptoms would not go away, according to Mohabat News.

Last year, Zargaran complained of chronic back and joint pain, which the medical staff diagnosed to have something to do with her lumbar disk, osteoporosis and arthritis. She was advised to undergo five days of physiotherapy. Prison authorities allowed to give her medical leave for the treatment, but she was not able to complete it because she was summoned back to the prison, another report said.

Zargaran's poor health condition is connected with a previous heart surgery she went through for atrial septal defect. Since she had the surgery nine years ago, she had experienced several health problems, including chronic joint pain and numbness of the limbs. Her condition has required her to have regular consultations with her doctor.

Her incarceration has caused her health to worsen, and now she is suffering from diabetes and anemia.

Zargaran was arrested in 2012 for her involvement in the ministry of Saeed Abedini. She was imprisoned in 2013 on charges of "conducting propaganda against the Islamic regime and acting against the national security."

The charges were in connection to her conversion from Islam to Christianity. She allegedly led other Muslims, particularly young people and women, to Christianity and helped establish house churches.

"The court considers the acts committed by the convict as being in line with England and Occupied Palestine's [Israel's] anti-security agenda to spread Christianity in Iran in order to pervert Iranian society from Islam," the court said.

She is presently serving a four-year prison sentence.

Last year, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence claimed they were unaware of her case and said they would look into it.