Christian converts told to return to prison 9 November 2021 News Habib Heydari (left) and Sasan Khosravi. Christian converts Sasan Khosravi and Habib Heydari have been summoned back to prison to serve the remainder of their one-year sentences for “propagating against the Islamic Republic by promoting Christianity”. The two Christians have been on furlough since March, having only begun their sentences in February, but have now been told they must return to Bushehr Central Prison by Thursday, 11 November, to complete their sentences. They were among seven Christians to have been sentenced in June 2020 – all on the same charges. Of the seven, Sasan, Habib, and Sasan’s brother Sam were given one-year sentences; Pooriya Peyma received a 91-day sentence; and Sam, Sasan and Pooriya’s wives were fined. Sam and Sasan were also sentenced to two-year’s exile from their home city of Bushehr following their release, including a ban on any work within their specialist profession – the hospitality sector – while Sam’s wife, Maryam, was banned from working for any national institution, including the hospital she’d worked at for 20 years. Only Sam, Sasan and Habib appealed – unsuccessfully – against the sentences. The others chose to pay their fines or, in Pooriya’s case, to serve his sentence. Pooriya began serving his sentence at the same time as Sasan and Habib, on 9 February. He was released after 52 days. Sam and Maryam are meanwhile still fighting for custody of their adopted daughter, Lydia, after a court ruled in July last year that, as Christians, they were “unfit” to be her parents, because she is considered Muslim. Last October, 120 lawyers and activists wrote an open letter to Ebrahim Raisi – who was at the time the head of the judiciary – asking him to overturn the decision after it was upheld by an appeals court. The case was also referred to the Supreme Court, but there has been no change of verdict.
Give Persian-speaking Christians a #place2worship! 9 November 2021 Sign a Petition The Central Assemblies of God Church in Tehran, which was forcibly closed in May 2013. In Iran, Persian-speaking Christians have no #place2worship collectively. Churches that once held services in Persian (the national language) have been forcibly closed down or prohibited from holding services in Persian – to dissuade converts from attending. So while Christians from Armenian and Assyrian backgrounds can still worship together in churches – providing they use their ethnic languages – converts, as well as Armenian and Assyrian Christians who do not speak their ethnic languages, have nowhere to go. As a result, they meet together in their homes, in what have become known as “house-churches“, but the Iranian regime has labelled these peaceful gatherings “enemy groups” and sentenced members to up to 10 years in prison. But what other choice do they have? Where else can they worship? Article18 is calling on the Iranian regime to provide Persian-speaking Christians with a #place2worship. Please join us by signing our petition, and sharing it on your social media using the hashtag #place2worship. We would also love as many people as possible to post photos of themselves holding a sign with the #place2worship hashtag. Finally, please also consider contacting your local government representative, calling on them to hold the Iranian government accountable in whatever way they can. You can keep up with all the latest developments in our #place2worship campaign here.
Give Persian-speaking Christians a #place2worship! 9 November 2021 News The Central Assemblies of God Church in Tehran, which was forcibly closed in May 2013. Article18 has partnered with nine other Christian organisations in today sending a joint letter to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, asking her to seek answers from the Iranian regime to the question of “where Persian-speaking Christians can gather to worship freely without risking harassment and imprisonment on excessive charges”. In the letter, the full text of which can be read below, we also ask High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet to call for the “unconditional release of Christian prisoners of conscience currently incarcerated or exiled for peacefully practising their religious belief”, and “an end to the ongoing crackdown on house-churches, their leaders and attendees”. As we point out in the letter, Persian-speaking Iranian Christians – comprising both converts to Christianity and Assyrian and Armenian Christians who wish to worship in the national language – currently have no place where they can worship collectively, in violation of both Iran’s constitution and international law. “The majority of Persian-speaking churches of all denominations have been forcibly closed in recent years,” we note. “Only four small ones remain, which are kept under tight surveillance by the authorities. And these churches are also not allowed to accept visitors or take on any new members.” Meanwhile, the Iranian authorities do not permit Christian converts to attend the churches of the Armenian and Assyrian communities, and these communities are themselves prohibited from holding services in Persian to further dissuade converts from attending. This means the only option available to Persian-speaking Christians is to worship in private homes, in what have become widely known as “house-churches”. However, the Iranian regime views membership of a house-church as an ‘action against national security’, punishable by up to five years in prison. Meanwhile, the establishment or directing of these house-churches – also considered a ‘national security’ offence – carries a penalty of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. The full text of the letter can be read below. Meanwhile, you can sign our petition for all Persian-speaking Christians to be given a #place2worship, and see all the latest updates about our campaign here. Ms Michelle BacheletUnited Nations High Commissioner for Human RightsOffice of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)Palais des NationsCH-1211 Geneva 10Switzerland 9 November, 2021 Persian-speaking Iranian Christians have no place where they can worship collectively Dear High Commissioner Bachelet, We are a group of Christian organisations, united in our commitment to the promotion and protection of human rights and our desire to see human rights afforded to all, in Iran and internationally. We write to solicit your urgent intervention on behalf of Persian-speaking Christians in Iran, whose enjoyment of the right to the freedoms of religion or belief (FoRB) and expression are being violated comprehensively, as they currently have no place where they can gather to worship. This group includes converts to Christianity from a Muslim background, as well as ethnic Armenian and Assyrian Christians who wish to worship in the national language (Persian), as many do not speak or understand any other language. The majority of Persian-speaking churches of all denominations have been forcibly closed in recent years, and only four small ones remain, which are kept under tight surveillance by the authorities. These churches are also not allowed to accept visitors or take on any new members. The Iranian authorities do not permit converts to attend the churches of the Armenian and Assyrian communities, whose rights are recognised under the country’s Constitution. Moreover, these communities are themselves prohibited from holding services in Persian to further dissuade converts from attending. This means the only option available to a Persian-speaking Christian is to worship in private homes, in what have become widely known as “house-churches”. However, the Iranian regime views membership of a house-church as an “action against national security”, punishable by up to five years in prison. The establishment or directing of these house-churches – also considered a “national security” offence – carries a penalty of up to ten years’ imprisonment. Thus, gathering peacefully in community with others to manifest one’s religious belief, as articulated in international human rights conventions, has been labelled a “security”-related offence, and Christians are increasingly arrested merely for gathering together for prayer or Bible studies. In 2020 alone, there were at least 115 known separate instances of the authorities targeting Christians for the peaceful exercise of their religious belief in which a total of 237 individuals were targeted, and combined prison sentences of 147 years (1,760 months) were handed down. So far in 2021, at least 53 Christians have been arrested, and many more await imminent court hearings. At present, at least 17 Christians targeted on account of the peaceful practice of their religious belief are serving sentences of between two to 10 years. Two more are in state-ordered internal exile, having already spent years in prison. In November last year, senior UN figures including special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Ahmed Shaheed, and special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, wrote to Iran about the reported “persecution of members of the Christian minority in Iran, including converts from Islam, as well as the detention of dozens of Christians, most of whom have been convicted for exercising their right to freely observe and worship their religion”. That same month, the UN’s working group on arbitrary detention concluded that Iran was guilty of arbitrary detention in the case of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, a Christian convert serving a ten-year prison sentence – later reduced to six years – for leadership of a house-church. Earlier this year changes were made to Articles 499 and 500 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code – relating respectively to membership or organisation of “anti-security groups” and “propaganda against the state” – which provide even greater scope for the authorities to bring charges against members of unrecognised religious-minority groups, such as Persian-speaking Christians, on spurious and ambiguous grounds. Persian-speaking Christians are now wondering where they can freely gather to worship. Their appeal for freedom of worship, expression, association and the right to peaceful assembly also addresses a wider issue shared with other religious communities who are similarly experiencing violations of FoRB and associated rights and freedoms. Consequently, improvements in the human-rights situation for Persian-speaking Christians would also benefit other minority religious and ethnic communities, such as Baha’is, followers of Erfan-e-Halgheh (Inter-Universalism), Jews, Mandaeans, the non-religious, Sufi Muslims such as Gonabadi Dervishes, Sunni Muslims, Yarsanis, and Zoroastrians. Iran is a signatory without reservation to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which in Article 18 provides for the right to worship and the right to adopt a religion or belief of choice. Persian-speaking Christians are being denied enjoyment of their very basic rights under the ICCPR. Additionally, Iran’s own Constitution, per Article 13, considers “Zoroastrian, Jewish, and Christian Iranians,” regardless of their ethnicity, gender and language, as “recognised religious minorities, who, within the limits of the law, are free to perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education.” Thus, Iran is in clear contravention of its obligations under both international law, as well as the protections within its own Constitution. We would be grateful if you would kindly use your good offices to make representations to the Iranian authorities, requesting: 1. Clarification on where Persian-speaking Christians can gather to worship freely without risking harassment and imprisonment on excessive charges. 2. The unconditional release of Christian prisoners of conscience currently incarcerated or exiled for peacefully practising their religious belief. 3. An end to the ongoing crackdown on house-churches, their leaders and attendees, and to all raids, arrests, prosecutions, imprisonments, and other forms of mistreatment against them. We thank you for your vital work in promoting and protecting human rights in countries around the world, and for your time and consideration of this correspondence. With our best wishes, Article18CSWMiddle East ConcernOpen Doors InternationalInternational Christian ConcernRelease InternationalChurch in ChainsStefanus Alliance International Prayer PioneersSteadfast Global
Christian converts summoned to begin prison sentences for ‘deviant propaganda’ 8 November 2021 News Left to right: Milad Goodarzi, Amin Khaki, and Alireza Nourmohammadi. Three Christian converts have been summoned to begin three-year prison sentences for “engaging in propaganda that educates in a deviant way contrary to the holy religion of Islam”. Amin Khaki, Milad Goodarzi and Alireza Nourmohammadi will be the first Christians sent to prison under the newly amended Article 500 of the penal code, which ARTICLE 19, an organisation dedicated to the protection of freedom of speech, has called “a full-on attack on the right to freedom of religion and belief”. The three men, who have all spent time in prison before because of their Christian faith and activities, have until Wednesday, 10 November, to hand themselves in to the prison authorities in Karaj. Amin Khaki, pictured on 10 November with his wife Laleh and five-year-old son Ateen outside the Civil and Revolutionary Court of Fardis, before his transfer to Ghezel Hesar prison. They were initially given the maximum five-year sentences under the charges, but their sentences were reduced on appeal in August. The charges against them followed coordinated raids by intelligence agents on their homes, and on the homes of nine other Christian families in Fardis, in November 2020. None of the Christians were arrested at that time, but many of their personal belongings were confiscated – including phones, laptops, Bibles, Christian literature and anything else to do with Christianity. The Christian items have not been returned. Then in the space of two weeks in January and February, a member of each family was summoned for interrogation and ordered to sign commitments to refrain from meeting together – either in person or online. As Article18 noted at the time, Iranian Christians are routinely asked during interrogations to sign commitments to refrain from gathering together in house-churches, but this was the first known example of intelligence officials demanding they sign a commitment to have no further social engagements together at all, including online. And again, it was a direct result of the newly amended Article 500, which prohibits “psychological manipulation” or so-called “mind control” by members of “sects” – in the “real or virtual sphere”, i.e. in person or online. When the Christians refused to sign the commitments, they were threatened with long prison sentences and told it would be better for them if they left the country. Then in May, Amin, Milad and Alireza were officially charged and each forced to submit bail of 250 million tomans (around $12,000) and told they must report weekly to the intelligence branch of Iran’s police force for the next six months. The other Christians were also threatened with imprisonment or other ramifications, such as employment restrictions. Background The amendments to Article 500, and also 499, which relates to membership or organisation of “anti-security groups”, were ratified by Iran’s Guardian Council in March, having been signed into law by President Hassan Rouhani in February. They were initially proposed in Iran’s parliament in May last year, but were twice rejected by the Guardian Council, which must approve all bills. Ever since the amendments were proposed, rights groups including Article18 have warned they could be used to further clamp down on unrecognised religious minorities, including Christian converts, as the two articles were already routinely used in the prosecution of converts. Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, labelled both amendments “a catastrophe” and “disservice to justice”, which will “bring more ambiguity to an already ambiguous set of charges … and decrease the chance that a judge may act in a more tolerant way towards house-church members, by providing greater scope within the law to bring charges on these vaguely-defined grounds”. He added that the new amendments would be “celebrated by Iran’s intelligence agencies, who are always in the background in court cases against Christians, pressuring judges to impose the harshest possible sentence”. Human rights lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz had previously warned that the amendments would “facilitate the repression and punishment of Christian converts and others belonging to unrecognised religious groups”. Meanwhile, Hamid Gharagozloo from the International Organisation to Preserve Human Rights (IOPHR) cautioned: “By making it a crime to be part of a sect, and banning a group as a ‘sect’, it gives them an open hand to crush any form of uprising or dissatisfaction with the government… Any form of defiance will be labelled as a ‘sect’, and then it will be punishable by law.”
Christian converts’ property returned after six-month wait 8 November 2021 News Left to right: Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, Mohammad Kayidgap, Esmaeil Narimanpour, and Alireza Varak-Shah. Four Christian converts whose property was confiscated from them by the intelligence agents who raided their homes more than six months ago have finally had it returned to them. Esmaeil Narimanpour, Alireza Varak-Shah, Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, and Mohammad Kayidgap were arrested in April, then charged in August with “propaganda against the Islamic Republic” – as a result of their membership of a house-church. But though they appealed to have their confiscated property returned to them – including items essential for their children’s schoolwork, such as laptops and mobile phones – the intelligence service in their home city of Dezful had until now refused to hand it back, in spite of several direct orders from the local prosecutor’s office to do so. But in the past few days, their belongings have finally been returned to them, after their lawyer, Iman Soleimani, followed up the matter with the intelligence service in the capital, Tehran. The four Christians are now awaiting trial, alongside four others – Hojjat Lotfi Khalaf, Alireza Roshanaei Zadeh, Masoud Nabi, and Mohsen Saadati Zadeh – who are also expected soon to be summoned to face the same charges, which fall under the recently amended Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, under which several other Christians have already been sentenced or threatened.
UN told: ‘Don’t forget Iran’s persecuted Christians’ 29 October 2021 News Javaid Rehman (left) and António Gutteres (Photo: UN Geneva / Flickr / CC) Article18 has partnered with seven other organisations to ask senior UN figures not to forget Iran’s persecuted Christians in future reports about the human rights situation in the country. In letters sent this week to the UN’s secretary-general, António Guterres, and the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, Javaid Rehman, we asked that in all future reports they “include specific reference to the main victims of FoRB [freedom of religion or belief] violations”, including Christians. We acknowledged that both UN figures have a broader focus on human rights and religious freedom in general, and also that the special rapporteur focused specifically on the persecution Christian converts in a previous report; however, we called for consistency in naming the main victims of FoRB violations in all reports. We noted how neither the secretary-general’s report on Iran in May this year, nor the special rapporteur’s January report, contained a single reference to Iran’s persecution of Christians, though both called more broadly for Iran to “end discrimination” against religious minorities. We welcomed the fact that both reports contained specific references to Baha’is and Gonabadi Dervishes – two other repressed religious-minority groups in Iran – but called for consistency in naming every victim, including Christians. In the letter to the secretary-general, we further queried why his report made no mention of the concerning amendments earlier this year to Articles 499 and 500 of Iran’s penal code, which we noted have been called a “full-on attack on the right to freedom of religion and belief”, and which have already been used in the prosecution of Christian converts. You can read the full text of both letters below. Mr António GuterresSecretary-General of the United Nations UN Headquarters405 East 42nd StreetNew York, NY 10017United States of America 28 October, 2021 Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iran: Request for raising of FoRB violations, with specific mention of affected minority groups Dear Secretary-General, We write as a cohort of organisations and individuals comprising of human rights advocates and practitioners, academics, and religious and secular personnel and leaders. We as a group hold a wide range of religious and political views, standing united as to human rights, including the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), and our desire to see human rights afforded to all, in Iran and internationally. We thank you for your dedication and great work in the cause of human rights. We refer to your interim report on Iran dated 14 May this year, published in advance of the 47th session of the Human Rights Council. We appreciate the report ́s recommendation in urging “the Government to protect the rights of all persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, and to address all forms of discrimination against them immediately”. We note specific reference to the Baha’i community, under the heading “Right to adequate housing and forced evictions”, rightly highlighting the important issue of the demolition and confiscation of their property. We also note the detailing, under the heading “Arbitrary deprivation of life in detention”, of the situation leading to the death of Gonabadi Sufi Behnam Mahjoubi. However, we are concerned that the report did not feature specific focus on FoRB violations. Additionally, it did not feature any specific references to other faith or non-religious minorities. Christians/converts to Christianity, being one of the main groups in Iran persecuted on account of religion or belief, were neither named in general terms, nor were there references regarding particular/individual matters concerning them. We are also concerned that the report did not cover the changes earlier this year made to Articles 499 and 500 in Iran’s Islamic Penal Code. The new provisions in these Articles “pose serious risks to the rights to freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief”. Article 500 “launches a full-on attack on the right to freedom of religion and belief.” “[W]hile the new provisions impose a threat to anyone who refuses to subscribe to state-sanctioned beliefs and ideologies, they will disproportionately impact individuals belonging to religious and faith-based minorities and ethnic groups.” We recognise your concern is for all human rights abuses, including FoRB violations suffered by religious minorities and the non-religious. There are numerous communities in Iran who face FoRB violations, including Baha’is, Christians, followers of Erfan-e-Halgheh (Inter-Universalism), Jews, Mandaeans, the non-religious, Sufi Muslims such as Gonabadi Dervishes, Sunni Muslims, Yarsanis, and Zoroastrians. We respectfully request that the issue of freedom of religion or belief be consistently included in future reports and correspondence, and that specific references to the main victims of FoRB violations be included. We thank you for your vital efforts in bringing about positive change in our world, and we thank you for your time in considering this correspondence. With our best wishes,Middle East ConcernArticle 18Church in ChainsCrown Christian Heritage Trust Prayer Pioneers Steadfast GlobalStefanus AllianceThe World Evangelical Alliance Professor Javaid RehmanUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran United Nations Office at GenevaPalais des Nations1211 Geneva 10Switzerland 26 October, 2021 Freedom of Religion or Belief in Iran: Request for continued raising of FoRB violations, specifically mentioning affected minority groups Dear Special Rapporteur, We write as a cohort of organisations and individuals comprising of human rights advocates and practitioners, academics, and religious and secular personnel and leaders. We as a group hold a wide range of religious and political views, standing united as to human rights, including the right to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), and our desire to see human rights afforded to all, in Iran and internationally. Foremost, we thank you for your dedication in the cause of human rights, including in FoRB matters. We greatly appreciate the extent and quality of your work concerning all forms of human rights abuses in Iran, encompassing the FoRB violations suffered by minority religious groups and the non-religious. We refer to your report on Iran dated 11 January this year, published in advance of the 46th session of the Human Rights Council. We appreciate the report ́s coverage of FoRB issues faced by minorities and your related calls upon the authorities. We gladly note specific references to Baha’is and Gonabadi Dervishes. We are concerned the report did not feature any specific references to other minority groups such as Christians/converts to Christianity, being one of the main groups persecuted on account of religion or belief. We note Christians and other minorities were neither named in general terms, nor were there references regarding particular/individual matters concerning Christians or other minorities. We appreciate other of your reports and letters as Special Rapporteur on Iran have featured specific focus and specific references concerning the Christian community and other minority groups. We recognise your concern is for all human rights abuses, including those of minority faiths and the non- religious who are the subject of FoRB violations. There are numerous communities in Iran who face FoRB violations, including Baha’is, Christians, followers of Erfan-e-Halgheh (Inter-Universalism), Jews, Mandaeans, the non-religious, Sufi Muslims such as Gonabadi Dervishes, Sunni Muslims, Yarsanis, and Zoroastrians. We respectfully request that in future reports and letters as Special Rapporteur on Iran, you continue to consistently raise the issue of freedom of religion and belief, and that you include specific reference to the main victims of FoRB violations. We thank you for your vital efforts in bringing about positive change in our world. We thank you for your time in considering this and other correspondence that you receive from many of us. With our best wishes,Middle East ConcernArticle 18Church in ChainsCrown Christian Heritage Trust Prayer Pioneers Steadfast GlobalStefanus AllianceThe World Evangelical Alliance
Imprisoned converts ask: ‘Where can I worship after I’m released?’ 27 October 2021 News Left to right: Babak Hosseinzadeh, Behnam Akhlaghi and Saheb Fadaie. Three Iranian converts serving long prison sentences for their membership of a house-church have written a joint letter and recorded video statements, asking where they should worship once they are released. As the three men, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Behnam Akhlaghi, and Saheb Fadaie, point out, the churches of Iran’s recognised Christians of Armenian and Assyrian descent are not permitted to welcome Persian-speaking Christians, so their only option is to worship in their homes in what have become known as “house-churches”. But for this, they and hundreds of other Persian-speaking Christians have been arrested and sentenced to imprisonment in recent years on charges of “acting against national security”. And so, Behnam asks in his video (below): “If attending a house-church is considered a crime, and churches are closed off – or even if a church is open then it is limited to special individuals who can anyway only participate with restrictions – then as a Christian who is told, ‘We respect you, your faith, and the path you have chosen,’ my question is: in view of this respect, how and where should I perform my religious rites?” Babak adds in his video (below): “After these five years, when I am released, will you put me back in prison again because I continue to believe in Christ? Will I be separated from my family again? Will I still be threatened with exile? “The churches in our city have been closed down, the doors are shut, so we can’t worship in a church building. “The churches that remain open are accessible for only certain people – those born into Christian families – and not to us [converts]. Because of this, and the closure of the other churches, we have no church building in which to worship. So I want you to answer my question: ‘Where am I to worship after these five years?’” Behnam says that in his more than two years in prison he has written numerous letters to the relevant authorities, asking for an answer to this question, but “unfortunately I haven’t received any answer … so I have come to the conclusion that through this video I can make my voice heard, and demand an answer to my question”. In their joint letter, the full text of which can be read at the bottom of this page, the two men explain how Iran’s constitution, in Article 13, makes no mention of ethnicity or language in recognising Christians as among the religious minorities permitted to “perform their religious rites and ceremonies … within the limits of the law”. Meanwhile, Iran is a signatory, without reservation, of Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and is therefore obliged to provide all its citizens with full freedom of religion, including the right to change religion and to worship “individually or in community with others, and in public or private”. However, Babak, Behnam and Saheb say in their letter that there is a “big gap between the written law and the practice of ignoring many Christians [namely Persian-speaking Christians] and their basic rights”, such as “the right to have an official church building”. They say that it is as a result of the “gross and widespread violation of this right” that “a large number of Christians are currently in prisons throughout Iran, enduring long-term sentences, flogging, and deprivation of social rights”. The three men add that the denial of a place of worship for Persian-speaking Christians is symptomatic of a deeper issue, affecting all religious minorities and in fact all Iranian citizens: the lack of freedom to choose one’s own belief, or to choose not to believe. Article18 joins with Babak, Behnam and Saheb in demanding an answer to their question: where can they worship? We further demand that Persian-speaking Christians are given a #place2worship. Please join our campaign by posting photographs or videos of yourselves to your social-media platforms, holding up the below poster or another sign displaying the #place2worship hashtag. You can also sign our petition for Persian-speaking Christians to be given a #place2worship, and keep up with all the latest developments in our campaign here. The letter in full “A significant population of Iranians of different ethnicities – Armenians, Assyrians and Persian-speakers – believe in Christianity, while in Article 13 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, “Iranian Christians” are recognised as a religious minority, without any specification or categorisation along ethnic, linguistic or sectarian lines. But there is a big gap between the written law and the practice of ignoring many Christians and their basic rights. One of the ignored fundamental rights is the right to have an official church building – a right that, as a result of its gross and widespread violation, has meant that a large number of Christians are currently in prisons throughout Iran, enduring long-term sentences, flogging, and deprivation of social rights. This is only a small part of the history of harassment and persecution that the Persian-speaking Christian community in Iran has endured – persecution that does not distinguish between young and old, men and women, and puts wider family members at risk of punishment too. Just a quick glance at the charges and cases leading to the detention of Christians over the past 40 years reveals that the reason for their detention has been almost entirely related to their right to have a place to worship collectively in the Persian language. Those who have gathered and worshipped in their homes in pursuit of this right to worship, and to have a place in which to worship, have been labelled “actors against national security”, as the government has hung a heavy yoke of persecution around their necks. Many churches have been forcibly closed, demolished or repurposed by the government. Day by day, this country is regressing and becoming ever more depleted of ideological diversity. Free thought and expression are impeded through coercion and policies that seek to obscure, then destroy thought. The violation of the right to a place of worship, or to express differing views, is not only the problem of Christians. The regime’s suppression of freedom of thought, action and belief, with an iron and impenetrable fist, does not distinguish between Christian and non-Christian. But for Persian-speaking Christians, denying them the right to worship in official churches is to deny them their religious freedom.” Babak Hosseinzadeh, Behnam Akhlaghi, and Saheb Fadaie,Evin Prison, Tehran
Convert denied parole – he never applied for it 25 October 2021 News An Iranian convert who has spent more than three years in Tehran’s Evin Prison for leading a house-church was told yesterday he has been denied parole for a second time – despite never applying for it. Zaman (Saheb) Fadaie, who is 40 years old, has been in prison since July 2018, serving what was initially a 10-year sentence, later reduced to six years. But despite missing his family terribly – including not being present at any of his 15-year-old daughter Martha’s last four birthdays – Saheb has consistently refused to apply for conditional release, saying he cannot accept the condition of no further involvement with a house-church. It came as a surprise, therefore, when in July this year Saheb was told by the prison authorities to sign a form acknowledging that his request for conditional release had been rejected. “I never applied for it,” he responded. “You sign it!” Two months later, on 1 September, following the release of some disturbing video footage from inside Evin, Saheb and his fellow prisoners received a visit from Tehran’s chief prosecutor, who remarked on the high number of Christian prisoners of conscience (13), including several, like Saheb, who met the conditions for parole. The prosecutor proceeded to write down four suggested actions on Saheb’s file: “reduction of sentence, suspension of sentence, release with electronic tag, or conditional release”. Two days later, Saheb was given 15 days’ leave from prison, and began to hope he may at least be permitted to serve the remainder of his sentence at home with his family in Rasht, northern Iran. As the end of his leave approached, he travelled back to Tehran (about a four-hour drive) to request an extension of his leave, hoping he may yet be able to attend one his daughter’s birthdays – she turned 15 on 4 October. Saheb was told his request would be granted, so he made the long journey back to Rasht. The next day, he received a telephone call telling him to return to Evin to resume his sentence. “They were just playing games with me,” Saheb reflected, noting how he had told the official in charge not to tell him his request would be granted unless it really would. Deflated, Saheb returned to prison on 18 September. Saheb Fadaie, with his wife Marjan and daughter Martha, who just turned 15. When he asked for an update on the recommendations the chief prosecutor had made, Saheb discovered that the prison authorities had yet to follow-up any of the recommendations. Until yesterday, that is, when Saheb learned that a request had at last been sent – albeit not the one Saheb would have wanted – but that once again the prison authorities’ own request for his conditional release had been denied. And by whom?By the very same prosecutor who had written “conditional release” as one of the potential action points in Saheb’s case. And so the cycle of hopes-raised, hopes-dashed continues, with no end in sight. Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, commented: “The only conclusion one can draw from all of this is that the orders from the prosecutor – one of the highest officials within the judiciary – were nothing but a PR exercise following the scandalous videos of mistreatment of prisoners, and a form of damage control. “One can only imagine the toll this kind of treatment – raising hopes only to crush it again – has on the mental health of prisoners and their families. “Such behaviour is reported repeatedly, and it seems that it is intentionally used against prisoners of conscience.”
Intelligence agents refuse to return Christians’ belongings 21 October 2021 News Left to right: Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, Mohammad Kayidgap, Esmaeil Narimanpour, and Alireza Varak-Shah. Four Iranian Christian converts are growing increasingly frustrated by intelligence agents’ continued refusal to return personal belongings confiscated from them six months ago. The four Christians, Esmaeil Narimanpour, Alireza Varak-Shah, Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, and Mohammad Kayidgap, were arrested in April and charged in August with “propaganda against the Islamic Republic”, as a result of their membership of a house-church. (Christian converts across Iran meet together to worship in private homes, known as house-churches, because they are not permitted to attend the churches of Iran’s “recognised” Christians of Armenian and Assyrian origin.) Yet while the local prosecutor’s office in their city of Dezful, southwestern Iran, has three times ordered the return of the Christians’ belongings, which include laptops and mobile phones, the intelligence ministry has each time refused to comply. The Christians cannot afford to buy replacements, which for some of them has meant that their children do not have the necessary equipment for their studies. Iranian human rights lawyer Hossein Ahmadiniaz, who has represented prisoners of conscience including Christian convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, told Article18 the situation highlights how intelligence agents act outside the bounds of the law. “The order of the judiciary is the highest order and must be obeyed,” he explained, “but in practice we see that the security forces act against this order whenever they want, and that no-one – not even the law, or the judiciary – can stand against them. “It also highlights the great oppression of Christian converts in Iran, and how they are treated with such hostility and resentment by the security forces.” Four other Christian converts from the same group – Hojjat Lotfi Khalaf, Alireza Roshanaei Zadeh, Masoud Nabi, and Mohsen Saadati Zadeh – are also expected soon to be summoned to face the same charges, which fall under the controversially amended Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, under which several other Christians have already been sentenced or threatened.
Christians summoned to Tehran prosecutor for final defence 20 October 2021 News Left to right: Somayeh (Sonya) Sadegh, Mina Khajavi, and Joseph Shahbazian. Five Iranian Christians who were among dozens arrested during coordinated raids on house-churches in three cities last year were summoned on Saturday to give their final defence before a Tehran prosecutor. The Christians were given five days to present themselves at the Evin prosecutor’s office, and at least three of them have already done so – Joseph Shahbazian, who is an Iranian-Armenian, Mina Khajavi, and Somayeh (Sonya) Sadegh. According to their lawyer, Iman Soleimani, the charges read out to them at the prosecutor’s office included: “promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity”, “weakening faith in Muslim clerics”, “membership in opposition groups” to “disrupt national security”, “weakening the foundation of the family”, and “attracting Muslims to house-churches”. They denied all the charges. Mina, who is 58 years old, told the prosecutor the interrogators had thrown away her actual testimony and said to her: “You must write what we want you to write!” Her lawyer said the accusations against all the Christians were based only on the allegations of these Revolutionary Guard intelligence agents, and not on any evidence. Mr Soleimani added that Mina, who is 58 years old, was asked by the prosecutor about the history of Protestantism and how it is connected with Zionism, to which she responded that she had no knowledge about such things. She was also accused of converting her husband and child to Christianity. She responded that she had forced nobody to convert, and that her family members had themselves decided to convert after seeing the profound change her new faith had made to her life. Mina was then told that another member of her house-church had brought charges against her. (Interrogators often pressure converts to bring accusations against their friends in order to secure their own release.) The Christians were told their cases would now be passed on to the 19th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. Article18 has not been able to confirm whether the other two Christians – Salar Eshraghi Moghadam and Farhad Khazaee – have yet presented themselves at the prosecutor’s office, but they have until tomorrow to do so.