Laleh Saati is an Iranian convert to Christianity. She spent several years seeking asylum in Malaysia before returning to Iran in 2017, frustrated at the lengthy process, and wishing to be reunited with her elderly parents.
On 13 February 2024, Laleh was arrested in Tehran and interrogated for around three weeks. Photos and videos of her baptism and Christian activities in Malaysia were shown to her as evidence of her supposed ‘crime’.
On 16 March 2024, Laleh was sentenced to two years in prison and a two-year travel ban for ‘acting against national security by connecting with Zionist Christian organisations’. She reportedly spent three weeks in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is run by the Ministry of Intelligence, before being transferred to the women’s ward.
- Give thanks for Laleh’s release. Pray for the swift improvement of her mental health, and total healing from any trauma from the interrogations she endured in Ward 209.
- Ask God to protect Laleh’s entire family. Her mother also faced interrogation and was reportedly threatened that she would be charged alongside her daughter because of the publicity surrounding Laleh’s case.
- Pray for the perpetrators of injustice and persecution. Laleh’s sentence was pronounced by a notorious judge, Iman Afshari, who has been sanctioned by the UK government for serious human rights violations.
- Pray for the safety of all religious and ethnic minority communities (including Baha’is, Christians, Sufi Dervishes and Sunni Muslims) who face similar discrimination, imprisonment and violence.
Find out more at csw.org.uk/iran