Nearly four months after the arrest of Ayda Najaflou — a Christian convert and mother of two — she remains in legal limbo in the security ward of Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Security and judicial authorities have not only failed to provide a clear explanation for her charges, but they have also effectively blocked her temporary release by setting an exorbitantly high bail.
Excessive Bail as a Tool of Pressure and Prolonged Detention
Iran’s judicial system has set an exorbitant bail of 110 billion rials for Najaflou’s temporary release — a sum far beyond the means of an average family.
This move appears to be aimed at exerting further pressure on her and prolonging her incarceration. The excessive bail not only denies her the right to a fair and timely trial but also extends her forced separation from her children, inflicting deep emotional distress on her family.
One of Ayda’s children suffers from a chronic illness, and her absence has severely disrupted family life, placing immense psychological strain on her children and husband.
Deteriorating Health and Denial of Medical Care
Before her arrest, Najaflou underwent spinal disc surgery and has been battling chronic back problems. Yet during her detention, she has been deprived of any specialized treatment and denied access to basic medical services such as pain relief medication, physiotherapy, or consultation with a specialist.
The lack of medical care has aggravated her spinal inflammation and chronic pain, raising serious concerns about her physical well-being. From a human rights perspective, this deliberate medical neglect constitutes a clear case of “white torture” — a psychological form of abuse involving prolonged deprivation and inhumane treatment.
Ayda Najaflou 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.
Such 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.
