Iran extends prison sentence of Christian convert who was on medical leave

Maryam Naghash Zargaran, a Christian convert who has been incarcerated in Iran for more than three years, found out that her sentence has been extended by 42 days when she returned to serve the rest of her prison term following a medical leave.

According to Release International, Zargaran was granted a five-day medical leave. A court ruling gave her an extension while she appealed for conditional release, but her plea was rejected.

When she returned to Evin Prison on Dec. 6, she was told that her prison sentence had been extended to make up for the time she spent out of jail.

She was arrested in January 2013 and sentenced to four years' imprisonment in connection with her work at an orphanage with Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini.

Zargaran, who suffers from heart disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and lumbar disc disease, was allowed to deposit a bond of 350 million toman (US $100,000) on June 6, 2016 in order to receive treatment outside of prison.

Her family applied for an extension as she was till not well enough. The prosecutor's office refused, and she was escorted back to prison on June 27.

Zargaran started a hunger strike on July 5 to protest the denial of her access to medical treatment and demanded her immediate and unconditional release. Prison officials confirmed the seriousness of her condition after an examination, but an Iranian court denied her plea for unconditional release. She ended the hunger strike in August at the request of her family.

The authorities allowed Zargaran to receive medical treatment at home at the end of August, but it was cut short because she was unable to comply with the conditions. She went back to Evin Prison on Sept. 17.

She was recently allowed to leave prison for medical treatment, but upon her return, she was informed about the extension of her prison sentence.

Amnesty International pointed to Zargaran's case as an example of Iran's "cruel" denial of medical care in its prisons.

Christian charity Open Doors is calling on Christians to pray for the release of Zargaran and other Christians imprisoned in Iran.