Three Christian women held incommunicado for 40 days face court hearing on unknown charges
Three Iranian women converts to Christianity arrested last month and held incommunicado in Tehran’s Evin Prison for 40 days face a court hearing on Sunday on unknown charges, according to a US-based Christian organisation.
Shilan Oraminejad, Razieh (Maral) Kohzady, and Zahra (Yalda) Heidary were arrested in their homes early in the morning of 9 May by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, who claimed to have search warrants and confiscated personal belongings including mobile phones, laptops, books, and pamphlets “without any explanation”, according to Mehr Ministries.
The Christians were then reportedly taken to an unknown location and held incommunicado for 40 days, before being able to call their families to let them know they were being held in Evin Prison.
The Christians have since reportedly been able to see their families, but continue to be denied access to a lawyer.
Hamid Hatami, president of Mehr Ministries, told VOA Farsi that when their families visited them in prison, “they were not in a good physical condition”.
Yesterday, Mehr reported that two of the women – Shilan and Zahra – have been released on bail, but Maral remains in custody.
All three reportedly face a court hearing on Sunday, 2 July, at the 28th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran.