Pastor Irani’s health worsens: friends fear he may not live to serve his prison sentence 22/11/2012

An Iranian pastor imprisoned for his faith is losing weight quickly, and is increasingly jaundiced. He may not survive another five years, which is the remaining time of his sentence for trumped-up charges of “action against national security”.
In the last two months Pastor Benham Irani has lost around 5kg as he fights a blood infection. He has been denied adequate medical treatment for his deteriorating health and for the injuries sustained from frequent and brutal beatings by prison guards and other inmates since his imprisonment in May last year. Acute stomach ulcers and colon complications have caused severe bleeding, and he is now barely able to walk. If he does not get the medical treatment he needs soon, he may die in prison.
Held in one of Iran's toughest prisons
Pastor Irani should not be in prison in the first place. He was detained on spurious political charges to disguise the fact that he has been imprisoned because of his faith – a tactic we're seeing used more and more often against Christians and other religious minorities in Iran. Read his full case history here.
Pastor Irani is being held in Ghezal Hesar Prison, one of the toughest jails in the country. He is in Ward 2 of Salon 7, where each of the 15 m2 cells holds 35-40 prisoners, and where there are only six bathrooms for the 600 inmates. This week the heating system in the prison is broken, there is no hot water for showers and at night it's just a few degrees above freezing.
The international community must take a stand
Iran's regime is increasingly intolerant of religious minorities. It is more and more vital for the international community to take action to persuade the Iranian regime to end the mistreatment of all prisoners of conscience. Please send a message to the Iranian judiciary, demanding adequate medical treatment for Benham Irani and his release from prison.
I want to...
Protest
Pastor Benham Irani's health is in critical condition and there is a very real chance he will die in Ghezal Hesar prison if he remains in his current condition.
Email the head of Iran's judiciary now to demand urgent medical treatment for Pastor Irani, and plead for his release from unjust imprisonment.
Provide
Every day you have an opportunity to write directly to a Christian going through trials for their faith. It's called Connect & Encourage, it's free and you can use it straight away! It's often the most direct way you can encourage them.
