Maryam was arrested in January 2013 while working at an orphanage with Christian ex-convict Saeed Abedini. She was charged with "acting against national security" and sentenced to four years in prison, which she began serving on July 15, 2013 in the women's wing of Evin Prison.
Maryam suffers from a number of diseases, including a congenital heart defect (atrial septal defect), osteoporosis, arthritis and osteoarthritis of the back. The poor conditions in the prison have undoubtedly contributed to worsening her condition. Prison medical staff have been unable to adequately treat Maryam's health problems and in recent months she has been allowed to take medical leave from prison to receive proper treatment in hospitals and at home. On June 6, 2016, Maryam was allowed to leave prison for treatment on the condition that a guarantee of 350 million toman (approximately USD 100,000) was provided. On June 19, the court ordered Maryam to return to prison. As she was still not well enough, her family applied for a postponement. But the prosecutor's office refused to extend her leave and threatened to keep the money provided as a guarantee. On June 27, Maryam was escorted back to prison by family members.
Maryam began a hunger strike on July 5, demanding her immediate and unconditional release due to the inadequate treatment of her health problems. Prison officials examined Maryam on 20 July and confirmed the seriousness of her condition in a medical report, but her demand for release was rejected by an Iranian court on the orders of the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS). In early August, she ended the hunger strike at the request of her family.
The prison allowed Maryam to go home on Sunday, August 28 to receive medical care, but under conditions that Maryam felt she could not comply with, resulting in her leave from prison being canceled. Maryam returned to Evin on September 17.
Maryam was recently granted an additional five days of leave, but when she returned to prison on December 6, she was told that her prison sentence had been extended by 42 days to compensate for her leave.
Maryam's friends ask for prayers for:
- That Maryam will feel God's encouragement, strengthening and healing after this disappointment.
- That Maryam's health may be fully restored.
- That God will also encourage and support Maryam's family.
- That Maryam can be released from prison without conditions.
- That God will move the Iranian authorities and officials to love mercy and act justly.
You can give Bibles to Iran - to Christians so they can be encouraged by reading God's Word and enable them to share the Good News with their fellow countrymen. It costs around 80 DKK to ensure a Bible can be printed and distributed in Iran or to Iranians in other countries in the Middle East.
