Ethnic Iranians are seen as being Muslim, and carrying out any Christian activities in their Farsi language is illegal. An Iranian man who leaves Islam can be sentenced to death and a woman to life imprisonment, although such sentences haven’t been carried out for more than 20 years. However, in 2017 over a dozen Christians – most of them converts to Christianity – were given prison sentences of between 10 and 15 years for “acting against national security”. According to religious freedom watchdog Article 18, such political charges attempt “to avoid international outcry at religiously motivated charges”. Several imprisoned Iranian Christians have undertaken hunger strikes in protest.
Iranian Christian released – two still detained
Middle East Concern, an association of Christian agencies, reports that Iranian detainee Vahid Hakkani was released Jan. 26 from Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz. Hakkani, one of eight Christians arrested in Feb. 2012, went on at least two hunger strikes during 2014 in efforts to protest against the Iranian judicial authorities […]
Christmas arrests in Iran: 11 still detained
As the US Secretary of State meets his Iranian counterpart in a bid to revive stalled talks over Iran’s nuclear programme, human rights experts are keen that issues of freedom of religion are not overlooked. This week, the UK Foreign Office has said that it’s raised its concern with the […]
Iran breaks up post-Christmas service
Two Christians were jailed and several others questioned after Iranian officials interrupted a Dec. 26 post-Christmas service in Tehran, . “Tens” of plain-clothed security officers, who identified themselves as agents of he Revolutionary Court, entered the home of an Assyrian Christian and declared their worship service to be “Unauthorized and […]
Three Iranian Christians sentenced to 6 years each
Iran has dropped capital charges against church leaders Behnam Irani, Abdolreza “Matthias” Ali-Haghnejad and Reza “Silas” Rabbani, but sentenced each of them to six years imprisonment to be served in exile in remote regions of Iran. Initially charged with “spreading corruption on earth,” a charge that carries the death sentence, […]
Iran appears to fight Islamic State, but are their ultimate goals too similar for comfort?
ISISKarl-Ludwig Poggemann / Flickr / Creative Commons It says something about the depths of worldwide revulsion to the self-proclaimed “Islamic State” that Western powers such as the US and the UK have been sitting at the same table with Iran to discuss how to defeat the deadly Islamist movement […]
New modern Persian Bible launched in UK and Turkey
A major new translation of the whole Bible into modern Persian was launched in London and Istanbul last week (September 22- 24). The project was especially significant as some of its’ earliest contributors were martyred for their faith. Its publishers are Elam Ministries, founded in 1990 by senior Iranian church […]
Iran’s religiously repressed and Internet freedom
Despite Iranian authorities best attempts to block the Internet [amid state filtering of all their major websites] a report, titled “Heretics,” by Small Media says the Internet is playing an essential role in empowering Iran’s repressed religious minorities. According to the report, Iranian Christians are sharing their faith through a […]
Iranian prisoners tortured and beaten
Two Christian men have been violently tortured and badly beaten in Iran’s prisons. Silas Rabbani, a deacon of the Church of Iran in Karaj, was arrested on May 5 by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security. Upon his arrest he was informed of the groups’ plan to arrest other […]
Happy New Year, Iran?
14th-Century Armenian Church of St. Stephanos;near Jolfa, Iran.Adam Jones / Flickr / Creative Commons It’s officially the first week of a New Year for the Persian-speaking world who have just finished celebrating Nowruz. With the Iranian new year some ‘new’ things have already happened for the Islamic Republic. Most […]
Iran: Pastor’s wife released early
The wife of an Iranian pastor has been released from prison three months before the end of her sentence. Shahnaz Jayzan, wife of Farhad Sabokrouh, was released on Tuesday (Jan. 28) after serving nine months in jail. She has been released on the condition that neither she nor her husband […]