Five Iranian Christians arrested last month in the Alborz Mountains north-east of Tehran still haven’t been told why they are being detained, nor have they been allowed any visitors – not even lawyers.
Amin Afshar Naderi, Ramil Bet-Tamraz, Hadi Asgari, Mohammad Dehnavi and Amir Saman Dashti were arrested on 26 Aug. Their families initially didn’t know where they had been taken, though eventually three of them were permitted to phone home, according to Mohabat News. They reportedly said they are being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Mohabat says their families are concerned the Iranian authorities may try to fabricate charges against them or pressure them to confess to having committed a crime. Some of them have also reportedly been fired from their jobs for being off work for so long.