Ahvaz Assemblies of God church member Davoud Alijani has been released after 257 days in Karoun Prison.

Davoud was arrested during a Christmas celebration in December 2011, alongside all other members of his Ahvaz church.

Most were released after being interrogated and ordered to have no further participation in Christian activities, but Davoud was detained, alongside fellow church member Nasser Zamen-Dezfuli and their pastor Farhad Sabokrooh and his wife Shahnaz Jizan.

In October 2012 all four were sentenced to one year in prison for “inviting Muslims to change religion” and “propaganda against the regime through the promotion of evangelical Christianity”.

And, having failed with their appeals, they were taken to serve their sentences in May 2013.

Farhad and Nasser were released in December, after 214 days in Sepidar Prison, but Shahnaz remains in prison.