Concern mounts over Christian pastors in Iranian prisons
ICC Note: The health of pastor Benham Irani, who was arrested in 2006 and sentenced to six years imprisonment in Iran for his faith, is quickly deteriorating, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports. Irani has reportedly been denied medical treatment and there is grave concern that his life could be endangered if he is not released soon.
3/5/2013 Iran (Baptist Times) – A British charity has expressed its concern over the deteriorating health of a pastor imprisoned in Iran.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) has learned that Pastor Benham Irani, currently held in Ghezal Hesar prison in Iran, is now unable to walk and that medical assistance continues to be withheld.
Pastor Irani has been losing weight for several months and has been unable to walk for the last week due to acute back pain. The pastor has trouble with his vision and last year suffered severe bleeding due to stomach ulcers and complications with his colon, which caused him to lose consciousness at one point. He was given tablets to stop the bleeding, but was denied further medical attention.
There are concerns that given his critical condition, the pastor may die unless he receives appropriate medical treatment.
Benham Irani pastors the Church of Iran congregation in Karaj. He was arrested in December 2006, and sentenced to six years imprisonment on charges of ‘action against the state’ and ‘action against the order’. The verdict against him includes text that describes Pastor Irani as an apostate and reiterates that apostates ‘can be killed’.
Increasingly, the official charges brought against Iranian Christians are couched in political language, when in reality they are being arrested on account of their religion. As a prisoner convicted of political charges, Pastor Irani has no access to medical furlough or cultural activities, is subjected to regular inspections, and can only see his family once a fortnight.
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