Ayda Najaflou, a Christian convert, has been held in legal limbo in Tehran’s Evin Prison for nearly four months, with no formal charges announced against her.
Despite a court setting an exorbitant bail of 110 billion rials, her family has been unable to afford it, leaving her incarcerated indefinitely.
Ayda Najaflou is the mother of two children, one of whom suffers from a medical condition requiring ongoing care. Her absence has placed a heavy burden on her family, especially in caring for her ill child.
Before her arrest, Najaflou underwent spinal disc surgery and suffers from chronic back issues.
She has not received adequate medical care while in detention, leading to worsening pain and potential further damage to her spine.
She was arrested in early February 2024 by security forces and initially held in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, operated by the Ministry of Intelligence.
On April 12, 2024, she was transferred to the women’s ward of the same prison.
As of this report, no official information has been released regarding the reasons for her arrest or the charges she may be facing.
Although Christianity is officially recognized as a minority religion under the Constitution of the Iranian regime, Iranian security agencies treat the conversion of Muslims to Christianity with particular sensitivity and often respond with harsh and punitive measures.
This treatment stands in stark contrast to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, both of which affirm every individual’s right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion — including the freedom to change one’s religion or belief, and to manifest it either alone or in community with others, publicly or privately.
