IRAN: Christian Prisoner Injured After Fall

Source: Voice of the Martyrs Australia, Article 18

A Christian convert who has been detained in the women’s ward of Tehran’s Evin Prison since February has suffered a spinal fracture after falling from her bunk bed.

Aida Najaflou, who is 44 years old, was taken to Taleghani Hospital for an X-ray after suffering the injury in the early hours of 31 October, but despite the severity of her injuries and ongoing health problems, she was denied proper medical treatment and returned to prison the same day – on a stretcher and in severe pain.

This decision provoked protests from other political and religious prisoners in the women’s ward, prompting prison authorities to eventually transfer her to another Tehran hospital, Shahid Tajrish, after both intelligence agents and the presiding judge had initially refused to issue permits for her hospitalisation.

Doctors recommended that Aida receive urgent surgery to repair the fracture to her T12 vertebrae, followed by a long recovery period requiring specialised care and regular physiotherapy — treatment rarely available to prisoners in Iran.

Prior to the accident, Aida had repeatedly warned prison officials that climbing to the top bunk was dangerous for her, as she suffers from rheumatoid arthritis. However, despite these warnings, her requests to be transferred to a lower bed were ignored.

Human rights organisations have long accused the Iranian authorities of systematically denying medical care to prisoners of conscience as a means of coercion and punishment.

Aida remains in detention due to her family’s inability to afford the extraordinarily high bail of 11 billion tomans (over ZAR4 500 000) set for her in May. Heavy bail conditions are increasingly imposed on Christian detainees in Iran. The case of Aida is currently under judicial review, following a second court hearing on 21 October at Branch 15 of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court, presided over by notorious judge Abolqasem Salavati.

• Pray for Aida’s urgent medical needs — that she will receive the surgery, care, and physiotherapy she requires, and that God will ease her pain and protect her from further harm.

• Pray for favour in her legal case — that the excessive bail will be lifted, that the reviewing judges will act justly, and that she will be released soon.

• Pray for strength and comfort for Aida and her family — that God will sustain them through fear, uncertainty, and financial pressure, and surround them with His peace.