All posts by Steve Dew-Jones.

Thirteen converts to Christianity have lost their appeals against one-year jail sentences and two-year travel bans.

The verdict was recorded at Branch 14 of the Appeals Court of Isfahan Province on Sunday 5 April. 

Article18 understands that the converts are determined to appeal again to a higher court.

Nasrin Kiamarzi, Maryam Bateni Nia, Akbar Ahmadi, Bita Ja’fari, Abbas (Peyman) Kiani, Fatemeh (Arina) Zarei, Masoumeh (Sahar) Dashti, Ramin Bakhtiarvand, sisters Leila, Sara and Samira (Atena) Fooladi, and two other unnamed converts, were first arrested on 20 February 2013 during a raid on their “house church”.

They were released on bail a month later, but convicted on 18 June 2013 at the Revolutionary Court of Shahin Shahr, north of Isfahan, of “propaganda against the regime, the propagation of evangelical Christianity, and the formation of house churches”, under Article 500 of the Penal Code.

At least 93 Christians are currently in prison in Iran because of their religious faith and activities. In the first two months of this year alone, 18 Christians in Rasht, Tonekabon, Karaj and Isfahan were sentenced to a combined total of 23 years and nine months in prison. At the same time, new arrests have been reported in Bushehr and Tonekabon.

Ahmed Shaheed, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in March expressed concern over “the underlying causes” of targeting of prisoners of conscience, and the widespread use of “vaguely defined national-security charges”.

A Christian prisoner’s request for early release has been rejected.

Behnam Irani has been in prison since May 2011 after being convicted of “actions against national security” and “propaganda against the system” – for his Christian activities.

He was arrested at his “house church” in Karaj in April 2010 and convicted in January 2011. 

When he was taken to prison in May 2011, the Christian convert believed he was going to serve a one-year sentence, but during his incarceration he learned that the one-year sentence had been added to an earlier suspended five-year jail term on similar charges, dating back to 2008 – so six years in all.

In March 2015, he wrote a letter to the prison authorities, requesting early release.

But Branch 7 of the Public Court of Karaj rejected his request, saying in a statement: “Because there is no sign of remorse in the prisoner, but he is continuing his illegal actions, so the court is rejecting this request and until the time that he officially and clearly states his remorse, it will be rejected.”

However, a legal expert told the HRANA news agency that in Iranian law Penal Code, “the need for repentance” is not a requirement for release. 

Behnam’s case has been widely reported by Christian websites and raised with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Two Christians have been sentenced to five years each in prison for “acting against national security by gathering and collusion”.

Ebrahim Firouzi (left) and Sevada Aghasar were sentenced today at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court of Karaj, chaired by Judge Mohammad Nasser Moghiseh.

Ebrahim is a Christian convert and prisoner of conscience, who has been arrested many times for his evangelism and has already spent a year in prison. 

On 13 July 2013, he was sentenced to a year in prison and two years in exile in the far-southeastern city of Sarbaz, in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, for “propaganda against the regime by establishing and organising Christian gatherings” and “having contacts with anti-revolutionary networks outside Iran”.

However, on the completion of his jail sentence in January, prison authorities refused to release him until a new court order was issued.

Sevada, an Armenian Christian living in Tehran, was arrested alongside Ebrahim on 25 August 2013, at the workplace of another friend, Masoud Mirza’i, who was also arrested but then released.

Sevada spent more than six months in Ward 350 of Evin Prison before his release on bail. He will now return to Evin Prison to begin his sentence. Ebrahim will remain in Rajaei Shahr Prison.

At least six converts to Christianity were arrested at a “house church” in Karaj last Friday, 10 April. 

Among those arrested were Abbas Seifzadeh, Mehdi Abdollahi, Saeed Heidari, Yashar Ghalandari, M. Ishaqi, Hengameh Taghavi, Mohammad Ghadimi, a man named Vahik, and another whose identity is unknown.

The group were arrested during a raid by plainclothes officers on Abbas’ house, where they had gathered for prayer and worship, and taken away in two vans.

Abbas’ neighbours were also intimidated by the officers, who searched his house and confiscated Christian books, CDs and pamphlets, and his satellite-television equipment.

Efforts of family members to discover where their loved ones are being held have so far proved fruitless.

Iran is among the top-ten countries on the World Watch List produced by Open Doors International – of the 50 countries in which it is most difficult to be a Christian. 

In recent days, churches in the city of Orumiyeh, in West Azerbaijan Province, were sent a letter by the local police department warning them not to hold Easter celebrations.

Iran is ranked among the top-ten worst persecutors of Christians by Open Doors, which noted in its latest report that Christian converts in Iran are routinely persecuted, imprisoned, ordered to return to Islam and threatened with execution.

Christian prisoner of conscience Mojtaba Hosseini has been conditionally released after more than three years in Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz.

The Persian-speaking Christian was granted early release on Wednesday, 18 March, 2015.

Fellow convert Esmail (Homayoun) Shekoohi was meanwhile granted ten days’ leave. 

Previously, on 10 November 2014, Homayoun had been granted conditional release after two years and eight months in prison, but a few days later Judge Rashidi, head of the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, said the decision was “wrong” and he was returned to prison.

Homayoun and Mojtaba were two of four converts, alongside Mohammad Reza (Koroush) Partovi and Vahid Hakani, arrested in February 2012 during raids on two house-churches in Shiraz. In June 2013 they were each sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for “promoting Christianity”, “association with Christian organisations abroad”, “propaganda against the state”, and “disrupting national security”.

In recent years, many Persian-speaking Christians have been arrested and sentenced to jail.

Article18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji, described the often-used national-security charges as “a cover and justification for suppressing the religious activities of these Christians”, adding: “To reduce international sensitivities, Iranian judicial officials have blamed these prisoners of conscience with security charges and restricted religious freedoms with irrational and ambiguous interpretations of the law.”

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in his latest report, expressed concern about violations of freedom of religion or belief, including the 92 known Christian prisoners.

Rasoul Abdollahi, a Christian prisoner of conscience, has been granted conditional release from Ward 10 of Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj after 15 months’ detention.

Conditional release is granted to Christian prisoners who, after serving half their sentences, agree to refrain from attending any Christian meetings. If they are found to have broken the terms of their release, they will be returned to prison to serve the remainder of their sentences.

Rasoul was first arrested in the winter of 2010, along with a large number of Christians across Iran. He then was released on bail in March 2011, and eventually sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on charges of “gathering, colluding and promoting Christianity”. He began serving his sentence in December 2013.

Dozens of other Christians were arrested in December 2010, including Farshid Fathi, who was recently given an additional year in prison on top of his initial six-year sentence.

Rasoul began his sentence in Ward 350 of Evin Prison, alongside Farshid. However, on 8 October 2014, he and seven other prisoners of conscience, including Ebrahim Firouzi and Alireza Seyyedian, were transferred without notice to Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj.

Christian convert Vahid Hakani has been conditionally released from Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz after nearly three years’ detention.

He was released on Monday, 26 January, after providing a written commitment to the Ministry of Intelligence that he will refrain from participating in Christian gatherings and house-churches. 

In Iran, first-time prisoners can be granted early release if they are have served over half of their term of imprisonment, though they can be called back to prison at any time should they be found to have breached the conditions of their release.

Vahid was arrested alongside three fellow converts, Mojtaba Hosseini, Esmail (Homayoun) Shekoohi and Mohammad Reza (Koroush) Partovi, on 8 February 2012, at a “house church” in Shiraz. 

A Revolutionary Court sentenced the four men on 10 June 2013 to three years and eight months each in prison for “participation in house-church meetings, propagating and spreading Christianity, connection with Christian organisations abroad, propaganda against the regime, and disrupting national security”.

Previously, judicial authorities had repeatedly opposed the early release of the four converts.

In protest at this, and at poor prison conditions, including denial of medical care, Vahid undertook two hunger strikes.

His second hunger strike lasted for seven weeks, during which his health deteriorated greatly.

In recent years, many Muslim-born Iranians who have converted to Christianity or those who have led others to convert have been arrested and jailed, then charged with actions against national security – a ruse to reduce international outcry at charges actually related to their religious beliefs and activities.

Ahmed Shaheed, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in his latest report, expressed concern over violations of freedom of religion or belief and the current detention of at least 50 Iranian Christians.

Iranian officials have denounced his reports as “biased” and “inaccurate”, but at the same time they have denied him permission to visit the country to investigate.

What is conditional release?

Conditional release is an opportunity given to imprisoned convicts before the end of their sentence to enjoy absolute freedom if they show good behaviour within a period determined by the court and execute court orders in a timely manner. According to Article 38 of the Islamic Penal Code, parole can be granted to those serving their first prison sentences after half of their sentence. In this case, the court issuing the final sentence can issue a conditional release, subject to certain conditions.

Pastor Farshid Fathi was sentenced to another year in prison on Monday morning, 29 December, for alleged possession of alcohol.

His sentencing took place at Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran, and was presided over by Judge Salavati.

Farshid, who denied the allegations, was already serving a six-year jail sentence for “acting against national security, communicating with foreign organisations and promoting Christianity”.

He was first arrested in December 2010 and has been in prison ever since, being held first in Tehran’s Evin Prison and subsequently Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj.

His additional jail term comes just a few months after Farshid was among 30 prisoners of conscience badly beaten by prison guards in Ward 350 of Evin Prison.

At least four prisoners, including Farshid, suffered such serious injuries that they had to be transferred to hospitals outside of the prison.

Farshid was sent to Taleghani Hospital in Tehran on 31 April for treatment on a fractured toe.

The attack was widely condemned by international organisations, but prison authorities denied wrongdoing and sought to pin the blame on the prisoners.

Farshid, who is 35, was first arrested on 26 December 2010, as one of many Christians arrested in raids on house-churches across the country. Many of the others who were arrested were released after promising not to participate in any further Christian activities. However, Farshid would not make any such promise and has been detained ever since.

Pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz, former leader of the Assyrian Pentecostal Church of Tehran (Shahrara), was arrested on Friday, 26 December, along with two of his friends, Amin Afshar-Naderi and Kavian Fallah-Mohammadi, as they celebrated Christmas together.

Ten plainclothes officers, introducing themselves as agents of the Revolutionary Court, entered the pastor’s home and confiscated many personal items, including Bibles, mobile phones and identification documents.

The officers searched all those present, separating men from women, and told them they were participating in an “unlawful and unauthorised gathering”.

The officers then forced them to fill out forms with the insignia of the Ministry of Intelligence, and filmed them as they explained why they had gathered.

After several hours of filming and interrogation, the plainclothes agents arrested Victor, Amin and Kavian, and transferred them to Evin Prison.

“In recent years, the wave of arrests of Christians at Christmas has become routine,” explains Article18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji. “The tendency of Iranians to attend Christmas celebrations together at this time is one of the reasons.”

Victor was dismissed from his post at the Shahrara church in March 2009 because he had held services in Farsi, which were seen to be aimed at attracting Muslims to convert to Christianity.

An appeals court in Karaj has acquitted two members of the “Church of Iran” of the serious crimes of “moharebeh” (waging war against God) and “spreading corruption on Earth”.

Reza Rabbani, known as Silas, and Abdolreza Ali-Haghnejad, known as Matthias, were acquitted on 14 December. They had been charged on 17 September and detained for five and three months, respectively.

Their fellow “Church of Iran” member, Behnam Irani, who is already serving a six-year sentence, had also been threatened with these serious additional charges.

In October 2012, Silas and Matthias were also sentenced to six years in prison for “propagating Christianity”. The court ruled that they should serve their sentences in the southern city of Minab, on the other side of the country to their homes.

However, before the commencement of their sentences, Silas was arrested during a raid on his home in Karaj in May 2014, and Matthias was arrested two months later, alongside two fellow “Church of Iran” members, Mohammad Roghangir and Soroush Saraei, at his home in Bandar Anzali.

It was following these arrests that they were hit with the additional charges of moharebeh and “spreading corruption on Earth”.

Ahvaz members released

Meanwhile, two other “Church of Iran” members have been released after ten months in prison in Ahvaz. 

Hussein Baronzadeh, known as Daniel, and Rahman Bahmani, known as Zia, were arrested in March, along with six others – Amin Khaki, Hossein Etemadifar, Mohammad Bahrami, Salimeh Rahimi, known as Martha, Fatemeh Bagheri and Amineh Moalla – in the city of Shush. 

All of them were transferred to the General Intelligence Office of Khuzestan, located in Ahvaz. Five of them were released a few hours later after making a commitment to have no more involvement in Christian activities, but Daniel, Zia and Amin were transferred to Karun Prison in Ahvaz.

Amin remains there, serving a sentence on charges of “acting against national security”.