Fatemeh Mohammadi, 20, was assaulted on a bus by another passenger who accused her of not wearing her headscarf properly, according to an eyewitness. The woman then attacked her by pushing her chest and hitting her in the face.
When Ms Mohammadi went to the police station to file a complaint against the woman, the police arrested her, thinking it was reasonable to assault her on this basis and let her assailant go free.
Fatemeh Mohammadi was eventually released on bail in the early hours of the following morning, according to religious freedom charity Open Doors.
Henrietta Blyth, CEO of Open Doors UK and Ireland, told Premier: "Iran is an Islamic republic where they are increasingly clamping down on Christianity where they see it as western influence. Obviously, according to sharia law, a woman should have her hair completely covered by a headscarf. We know that in Iran there is increasing bias and discrimination against Christians, so that's why this woman went for Fatemeh.
"We know Fatemeh is a strong Christian and in fact she'd already served a six month prison sentence last year after she was arrested in a house church meeting, so the authorities are clamping down harder and harder in Iran - house churches are being raided and leaders are being given long prison sentences. Fatemeh was charged last year for Christian activity and membership in proselytising groups - they also felt she was acting against national security through spreading propoganda against the regime."
Ms Mohammadi has also run a campaign for all Christians, including converts, to be given the right to worship in a church and wrote an open letter to the Minister of Intelligence, accusing him of infringing the constitution by targeting Christians.
She also called on human rights groups to highlight the "oppression" of Persian-speaking Christians in Iran, describing them as an overlooked minority who are recognised only by international community.
Christians with a Muslim background face particular difficulty in Iran, including family rejection to social isolation.
Arrests, detention, imprisonment, confiscation of church properties, attacks on churches and properties owned by Christians are all common.
It is number 9 on the World Watch List of the hardest countries in the world to be a Christian.
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