ICC Note: Maryam Zargaran was refused her request to extend her medical leave and is being forced to return to prison before her medical treatment is complete. Zargaran is a Christian convert serving a four year prison sentence for her faith in Iran. She has a history of medical problems which have largely been ignored by prison authorities. While she was finally allowed medical leave on June 6th, the Christian woman is far from recovery.

06/21/2016 Iran (Mohabat News): Less than a week ago, Iranian judicial authorities refused Maryam (Nasim) Naghash Zargaran’s request to extend her medical leave. This is in spite of her doctor’s strong advice for her to follow through with her complete treatment.

She went on a leave on June 6, 2016 for medical treatment and is now required to return to prison mid-treatment.

A source close to the Zargaran family said, “Her mother went to the court on Sunday asking for an extension to her leave, but they refused. She was told her daughter has stayed out of prison beyond her leave and needs to return to prison today”.

Before going on leave, Mrs. Zargaran had gone on a hunger strike to protest authorities’ indifference toward her health, mishandling her case and denying her medical leave. Ultimately, eleven days of hunger strike as well as extensive media coverage of her situation forced authorities to allow her to go on a short leave.

During her leave, Mrs. Zargaran remained in hospital until the evening of Saturday, June 18, 2016 but still suffers from various health issues.

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