HRANA News Agency – Naser Navard Goltapeh, a Christian convert imprisoned in Evin Prison, has been denied access to specialized medical care. He was recently transferred to a hospital due to deteriorating health but was returned to prison without receiving adequate treatment.
According to HRANA, quoting Article 18 News Outlet, on the 35th day of his hunger strike, Goltapeh was transferred to a hospital with symptoms suggesting a possible stroke. Following initial examinations, doctors suspected either a mild stroke or a minor heart attack. He experienced impaired movement in his left arm and leg. Despite the attending physician’s recommendation for physiotherapy and continued medical treatment, he was returned to prison without receiving adequate care.
The report states that no action has been taken so far to address his case or hold a trial. Although bail has been set, his release remains impossible.
On February 6, 2025, Goltapeh was arrested along with another Christian citizen, Joseph Shahbazian, in Tehran and transferred to Evin Prison.
At the time of this report, no information has been made available regarding the charges brought against him.
Goltapeh, a Christian convert residing in Tehran, has previously been arrested and imprisoned for his religious activities.n July 2016, he was detained during a private gathering and was ultimately sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “establishing a house church.” He served his sentence in Evin Prison from 2017 without any furlough, and multiple requests for a retrial or conditional release were denied. After serving more than half of his sentence, he was released in October 2022.
Notably, while Christianity is officially recognized as a minority religion in Iran, security agencies view the conversion of Muslims to Christianity as a highly sensitive matter and respond with severe crackdowns on those involved in religious activism.
The persecution of Christian converts in Iran persists despite Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which affirm every individual’s right to freedom of religion, including the right to change their faith and to practice it openly or privately, alone or in community with others.
