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 Christmas: Inconspicuous decorations … then celebrating behind bars
How do Christians under pressure for their faith celebrate Christmas? In the fourth of our series we hear from an Iranian Christian who spent three years – and three Christmases – in prison. Because converting away from Islam is illegal in Iran, house churches meet in secret and Christmas is […]
Iran: Four Christian converts detained after police raid houses and businesses
Four Iranian Christian converts were arrested by police last week in Karaj, a city 52 km west of the capital Tehran. A spokesman for advocacy organisation Article 18, Kiaa Aalipour, said that “Milad Goudarzi, Amin Khaki, Alireza Nour-Mohammadi and Shehabuddin Shahi were all arrested by security forces on Tuesday, December […]
Iranian Christian women describe ‘world’s most brutal prison’
Two Iranian Christian women who once faced the threat of execution for their faith have described the conditions inside Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison, calling it “the most brutal prison in the world”. Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh, who spent eight months there in 2009/10, now live in the US, where […]
Iran: Christian convert loses appeal against 10-year sentence for ‘missionary activities’
An Iranian convert to Christianity has had his 10-year prison sentence upheld after losing his appeal. Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh was sentenced in May alongside three Azerbaijanis. All four men were given 10-year sentences for “missionary activities” and “actions against national security” in Iran. However, the three Azerbaijanis – Eldar Gurbanov, […]
Iranian Christian convert released on bail days after threat of ‘indefinite’ incarceration
An Iranian convert to Christianity arrested on unspecified charges has been released on bail just days after his family was told he would be detained indefinitely. Mohammed Ali Torabi, 39, was ordered to pay 200 million tomans (around US $57,000) to secure his release from prison in Ahvaz, capital of Iran’s […]
Iranian Christian converts ‘to be detained indefinitely’
Two Iranian converts to Christianity arrested last month in the western city of Dezful have been told they will be kept in prison until further notice. Mohabat News reports that Abdol-Ali Pourmand, 38, and Mohammed Ali Torabi, 39, who are both members of the same ‘house church’ – Payam-e Aramesh (Message of […]
Iran: appeal due for Christians given 10 years for ‘missionary activities’
The appeal hearings will take place on Sunday (12 November) for an Iranian and three Azerbaijani Christians sentenced in May to 10 years in prison for “missionary activities” and “actions against national security” in Iran. The three Azerbaijanis – Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov – were allowed to […]
Iran MPs want to change law so people can only vote for candidates from their own religion
Conservative MPs within Iran’s parliament are proposing that Iranians should only be allowed to vote for members of their own religious group. In Iran, where 90-95% of the population is Shia Muslim, this will essentially mean that it will be impossible for members of religious minorities to be elected. The […]
Iran: another Christian convert ‘arrested, beaten and told to renounce faith’
An Iranian convert to Christianity has been arrested in the western city of Dezful, the fourth such convert arrested in the city in recent weeks. Abdol-Ali Pourmand was arrested on Saturday (21 October) after a raid on his home two days before, during which materials including Bibles and Christian CDs […]
Iran: arrests of Christian converts continue
Five more Iranian converts to Christianity have been arrested in recent weeks, three of whom are still being detained. Church leader Mohammed Ali Torabi, 39, was arrested on 10 October in the western city of Dezful, and is being held in an unknown location. Two other converts were arrested alongside […]