IRAN: Country Profile

Iran Facts
Population:80,946,000
Official language: Persian (Farsi)
Other spoken languages:Azeri, Kurdish, Gilaki, Mazani, Luri, Arabic, Balochi, ...
Official religion: Shia Islam (approx 87%)
Other religions: Sunni Islam, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Bahá'í Faith, Mandaeism, Yarsanism, ...
Christians: Approximately 800,000
Government: Theocratic Republic

Overview

Iranian authorities heavily suppress the right to freedom of religion or belief. Iranian Christians continue to face arbitrary arrest and detention, grossly unfair trials and lengthy imprisonment. Lack of due process, unfair trials, widespread torture and other ill-treatment of prisoners has been widely reported. Officially recognised churches are subjected to increasingly restrictive controls and effectively banned from using the Persian language in their activities. The authorities continue to raid "house churches" and publicly vilify evangelical Christians - thereby endorsing brutal security measures against them. Forcible closure of businesses owned by Christians, confiscation of properties, bans on employment in the public sector and denial of access to universities are also among the reported violations of freedom of religion.  

Background

Iran’s Constitution establishes Iran as an unalterably Islamic state (Twelver Ja’fari school) and establishes Islamic law as the basis of all legislation. Increasingly a strict interpretation of Shi’a Islam has been imposed by authorities on individuals of all faiths as a code of public conduct.

The Constitution provides religious-minority status to Christians, Jews and Zoroastrians, and states that the human rights of non-Muslims are to be respected as long as they refrain from activities against Islam or the Islamic Republic of Iran. These three recognised religious minorities have parliamentary representation and are entitled to establish and use their own rites in matters of personal status. The principle of non-discrimination is affirmed, and article 23 states that the “investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden”.

Although the Penal Code does not stipulate the death penalty for apostasy (a proposed amendment to the Code to criminalise apostasy was not adopted in the 2013 amendments), Article 167 of the Constitution makes provision for judges to rely on authoritative Islamic sources in matters not covered by the codified law – effectively providing scope for Islamic law sanctions to be applied for apostasy. The only known example of a Christian convert being executed for apostasy was Rev Hossein Soodmand in 1990, though others have received the death sentence only to see it overturned after an international outcry.

Iran ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on 24 June 1975. The ICCPR upholds the right to freedom of religion, including the right to hold a religion of one’s choice and the right to manifest that religion (Article 18). It also upholds the rights of minorities and the principle of non-discrimination. Iran’s ratification of the ICCPR was made without reservation.

Although Iran is party to ICCPR and other international covenants that provide for freedom of religion or belief, several Christians, Bahá'ís, Sufi Dervishes and Sunni Muslims have been killed judicially and extra-judicially, tortured, imprisoned or generally harassed on account of their faith.

Iranian Parliament or Islamic Consultative Assembly
A remembrance ceremony for the fallen members of religious minorities during the Iran-Iraq war.

Armenian Orthodox church service in Tehran

Iranian Christians worship in a house-church

Iran’s officially recognised Christian community includes Armenian and Syriac communities, thought to number approximately 300,000 – though some recent unofficial estimates suggest this has dropped very significantly in recent years due to emigration. These communities preserve their own linguistic and cultural traditions. The other main category of Christians does not have official status – these are Persian believers from Muslim backgrounds, principally within the Protestant “house church" movement. Their numbers are conservatively estimated to be between 500,000 and 800,000. 

Iranian authorities grant some limited freedoms to official churches and they are allowed to conduct their religious services in their own ethnic language but are forbidden from offering services to people of other backgrounds in Persian, Iran’s national language. Recognised churches include Armenian Apostolic, Russian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian, Chaldean and Roman Catholic, and Anglican, Presbyterian and (until recently) Pentecostal.

Officially recognised churches have been subjected to increasingly restrictive controls since 2009. This has led to the rise of "house churches", where Christian converts of Muslim heritage gather in private homes for worship and Bible study.

Main sources of persecution of Christians in Iran

Since the 1979 revolution, Iran's religious minorities have suffered increasing human rights violations, with the persecution of Muslim converts to Christianity in particular escalating since 2009. This has placed Iran among the top-10 persecutors of Christians since 2011, according to the World Watch List produced by Open Doors International.

Persecution of Christians in Iran comes mostly from the state. Hardliners within the Iranian regime are increasingly concerned about the spread of Christianity, and see evangelical Christians as a threat. Since 2010, political leaders, including Iran's Supreme Leader, have issued warnings about the "house church" movement as a destabilising factor threatening the future of their theocratic state. 

In addition to persecution from government sources, Christian converts of Muslim heritage often face strong family and societal pressure. Iranian society as a whole is more tolerant than the state. But conversion from Islam is still seen by some traditional families as a great family disgrace.

A combination of these factors accounts for the high emigration-rate of Christians from Iran, whether from Muslim or indigenous Christian backgrounds.

Arbitrary arrest and detention of Christians continues

Human rights violations against Christians in Iran

Denial of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB)

According to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which Iran has ratified without reservation, Iran is obligated to ensure religious freedom for its citizens. Yet while the Iranian Constitution recognises Christianity as one of three minority faiths, the authorities systematically violate the rights of a large segment of Iran’s Christian community. These violations include restricting attendance at churches, banning the formation of new churches, closing active churches for Persian-speakers, limiting the printing and distribution of Bibles and Christian literature, harassing church groups, surveilling Christian activities, arresting and prosecuting church leaders and members, criminalising Christian evangelism, and forcing converts to return to Islam. These actions directly conflict with the ICCPR. Iranian authorities have consistently exhibited a pattern of human-rights violations, effectively criminalising religious beliefs and practices, including accusing converts of “apostasy” - which can carry the death sentence - and imprisoning church members who engage in proselytisation.

Documented examples demonstrate that interrogators, judges and courts often consider standard Christian practices as evidence of criminal activity, or as a crime in themselves. Membership in house-churches, missionary activities and participation in Christian conferences are all viewed as criminal behaviour, and during arrests security agents frequently confiscate ordinary Christian items, such as Bibles, Christian literature, and crosses. As a result, many Iranian Christians, especially converts, have fled the country to protect themselves from potential persecution.

Violation of the Right to Life

The most severe violation that Christian converts face is the threat to their lives, as apostasy - the act of leaving or renouncing one's religion - is viewed as a crime punishable by death, according to the interpretations of some Shia clerics. Although Iran's penal code does not explicitly criminalise apostasy, judicial officers and courts frequently treat it as a crime, bypassing the absence of legal provisions on apostasy by citing Article 167 of the Constitution, which explicitly permits judges to use Islamic jurisprudence in the absence of clear definitions of crimes or punishments. This provision leaves room for reliance on jurisprudential rulings, or “fatwas”, that classify apostasy as a serious crime.

While Islamic law offers varying interpretations on apostasy, Iranian courts typically rely on the strict interpretations of fundamentalist clerics, such as Ayatollah Ali Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, who viewed leaving Islam as a crime punishable by death.

At least three Christian converts have been sentenced to death for this “crime”: Rev Hossein SoodmandRev Mehdi Dibaj, and Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani. Rev Soodmand was arrested in 1990. After spending two months in prison, he was sentenced to death by the Special Court for the Clergy in Mashhad. He refused to renounce his Christian faith and was executed in December 1990. Rev Dibaj was arrested in 1983 and sentenced to death in 1993. In January 1994, after international media reported his death sentence, he was released due to pressure from foreign parliamentarians, human rights organisations, the European Union, the US House of Representatives, and Christian leaders worldwide. He had spent over nine years in prison. However, five months after his release, Rev Dibaj's body, bearing multiple stab wounds, was found in a park near Tehran. The perpetrators of his murder were never identified. Pastor Nadarkhani was arrested in 2009 and subsequently sentenced to death. His retrial, following an appeal, received international attention. Due to pressure from the UN, the EU, international human rights organisations, and the Vatican, Pastor Nadarkhani was acquitted of the charge of apostasy and instead given a three-year prison sentence on charges related to his evangelistic activities. He was released in 2012 after serving his sentence but was rearrested in 2016 and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "acting against national security by forming house-churches."

Extrajudicial killings

Since the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, there have been numerous reports of suspicious murders targeting Christian leaders by unknown assailants, followed by inadequate investigations into these incidents.

Unknown attackers murdered prominent Protestant figures such as Rev Arastoo Sayyah and Bahram Dehqani-Tafti, the son of Anglican bishop Hassan Dehqani-Tafti, who also narrowly survived an assassination attempt, alongside his wife.

And as well as Rev Dibaj, Bishop Haik Hovsepian, who had been instrumental in securing Rev Dibaj’s release, was also killed under very suspicious circumstances. Bishop Hovsepian disappeared in January 1994, just three days after Rev Dibaj's release. His body, bearing 26 stab wounds, was found 11 days later, and his killers were never identified. In the same year, the body of another Protestant leader, Rev Tateos Michaelian, who became the overseer of the Council of Protestant Churches in Iran following Bishop Hovsepian's death, was found with multiple gunshot wounds to his head. The Iranian authorities claimed that the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK), an opposition group, was responsible for the murder, and convicted three members who allegedly confessed to the crime. However, informed sources doubted the group's involvement and held the Ministry of Intelligence responsible.

The names of Rev Dibaj, Bishop Hovsepian, and Rev Michaelian were later included in the list of victims of the “chain murders” carried out by the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence.

Another suspicious death was that of Pastor Mohammad Bagher Yousefi, known as “Ravanbakhsh” (“soul-giver”), whose body was found hanging from a tree in 1996. Additionally, in 2005, it was reported that Ghorban Tourani, a house-church leader, was found outside his home with his throat slit. The lack of legal efforts to investigate these murders suggests the authorities’ complicity in either the killings themselves or covering them up.

Arbitrary arrest and detention

Unrecognised Christians face increasing levels of arbitrary arrest and detention. The number of arrests, detentions, and trials of Christians increased after President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad took office in 2005, and intensified after 2009. The length of arrests can vary significantly, ranging from a few hours to as long as a year and a half. Many of those arrested are formally charged by Iranian authorities with crimes amounting to “actions against national security”, leading to lengthy trials.

It is important to note that publicly accessible data on arrests and detentions is significantly underreported, as many detainees fear that exposing their cases could result in further harassment from security forces. While most Christians who are arrested are eventually released, they often have to pay significant sums for bail, which is often forfeited as Christians leave the country or investigations never conclude, and therefore charges never officially dismissed. This allows the authorities to hold onto bail amounts, and also to restrict religious gatherings and practices by threatening future arrests and prosecutions. The Ministry of Intelligence is responsible for most publicly announced arrests. However, since 2012, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has also been increasingly cited as the arresting authority.

During detention, many individuals face pressure to confess. Interrogators frequently threaten long-term detention, prosecution, lengthy prison sentences, torture, mistreatment, the arrest of family members, and execution for apostasy to compel detainees to provide information about their church activities and other members. In some cases, Christians are offered release in exchange for “cooperating” with security agencies in securing the arrest of other Christians. Some detainees have also faced prolonged detention without any charges, formal indictments, trials, or judicial sentences.

Torture and mistreatment

Article 7 of the ICCPR states: “No-one shall be subjected to torture, or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment.” Article 38 of Iran's Constitution also prohibits torture and mistreatment, while the United Nations Human Rights Committee, in General Comment No. 20, clarified that prolonged solitary confinement may be considered a violation of Article 7.

Despite this, many Christians interviewed by Article18 have reported torture and mistreatment during their detention by Ministry of Intelligence or IRGC agents, particularly during interrogations, and that they were subjected to long periods of solitary confinement.

Furthermore, the Iranian authorities continue to deny adequate and appropriate medical care to prisoners of conscience, which in many cases is used as a tool to apply additional pressure, aimed at compelling them to renounce their faith, which can also be considered a form of torture.

Prisoners endure harsh and inhumane conditions, including overcrowding, lack of hot water, food and sleeping facilities, and inadequate ventilation.

Iranian law prescribes punishments that amount to torture, including flogging, which has been imposed on Christians for participating in church services. In 2020, two Christian converts, Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi and Saheb Fadaie, were each sentenced to 80 lashes for drinking wine during a Communion service - a punishment that was later enforced.

Lack of access to justice and due process

Court proceedings involving Christians often lack due process. Many Christians are denied access to legal counsel, or if they do have a lawyer, the lawyer is denied full access to their client's case file, making it difficult to mount an adequate defence.

Christian converts face significant barriers to justice. They often fear that revealing their conversion in court will lead to “apostasy” charges. Many Christians interviewed by Article18 said they refrained from voicing complaints about mistreatment during their detention, fearing judges would consider their conversion to another faith as "apostasy" and a criminal act, thereby disregarding their complaints.

Prosecution on ‘security’ charges

While Christians are sometimes charged with religious offences such as "apostasy" or “blasphemy", political or “national security” charges are more common. Charges such as "propaganda against the regime”, "acting against national security”, "collaborating with hostile foreign countries”, "contact with anti-regime groups”, or "collusion with hostile foreign governments" are frequently used. The evidence for these charges and trials is often based upon ordinary Christian practices, such as evangelism, hosting prayer meetings or Bible studies, attending Christian conferences, or distributing Bibles. Additionally, the Iranian authorities often view any contact with organisations abroad as a “crime against national security”.

Denial of Freedoms of Assembly and Association

The Iranian authorities systematically deny Persian-speaking Christians the right to freedom of assembly or peaceful gathering. Article 22 of the ICCPR states: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of association with others." Similarly, Article 26 of the Iranian Constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly for recognised religious minorities. In practice, however, the authorities regularly violate these commitments and refuse to grant permits for the establishment of new churches. Some recognised Persian-speaking churches have been forcibly closed, despite having official licenses, while remaining churches have been restricted from accepting new converts, limiting participation in services to pre-registered members. The authorities have also imposed restrictions on the days of the week when church services can be held, reducing the ability of Iranians to attend.

The authorities do not permit Christians to participate in collective prayer services, celebrations, Christian holidays, or Bible studies in house-churches. Security agencies violently prevent the formation of house-churches and warn participants against attending future meetings, whether in person or online. Moreover, house-church leaders are routinely arrested and charged with “security”-related offences for attempting to organise church services. Christians are also prohibited from attending international religious conferences, a policy that violates Article 12 of the ICCPR, which guarantees the right to freedom of movement, including leaving the country. These restrictions and others severely undermine Christians' ability to freely assemble and join their coreligionists in practising and teaching their chosen faith.

Denial of Freedom of Expression

The right to freedom of expression for Christians in Iran, guaranteed under international law and also Article 24 of the Iranian Constitution, is consistently denied. Article 19(2) of the ICCPR guarantees that "everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression”. The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the ICCPR, has stated that freedom of expression includes the right to engage in "religious discourse”, while Article 18 of the ICCPR guarantees the right to "prepare and distribute religious texts or publications”. However, the Iranian authorities consistently violate this right. Christians are arrested, detained and prosecuted for evangelising and distributing religious materials. Christian Persian-language websites are blocked, and jamming signals frequently disrupt satellite TV stations run by Christians. Access to the Bible is also significantly restricted.

Moreover, the distribution and importation of Bibles is widely prohibited, and security agents have confiscated Bibles and in some cases burned them. Christians involved in distributing Bibles have been arrested, while the authorities have also severely restricted the use of the Persian language in churches, limiting the ability of the vast majority of Iranians to access Christian teachings.

Harassment and surveillance

Christian groups are routinely monitored and harassed by the Iranian authorities. This surveillance is conducted both openly and clandestinely. The Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC frequently summon church leaders for questioning, coercing them to provide information about church activities, services, educational programmes, and the names and backgrounds of church members. Christians have also reported that intelligence agents have openly admitted during interrogations that they have been monitoring Christians and eavesdropping on their phone conversations. Information collected by the Ministry of Intelligence is later used as the basis for arrests, trials, and church closures.

Iranian security forces also frequently harass and interrogate the children, parents, and other relatives of exiled Christians as retaliation for their continued Christian activities inside the country.

Systematic discrimination

The Christian community in Iran, particularly Persian-speaking converts, face systematic discrimination in almost every area of life. Article 26 of the ICCPR states: "All persons are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to the equal protection of the law." However, the Iranian authorities have failed to protect Christians from discrimination in many key areas, such as employment, education, marriage, and family law. In some areas, Iranian law explicitly discriminates between Muslims and Christians, as in the below areas:

1. Employment

Article 6 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights safeguards the right to work. Accordingly, the Iranian authorities must prevent discrimination in the workplace, in hiring, and in dismissals. Discrimination in employment is one of the most common forms of discrimination against Christians, both in the public and private sectors. Many Christians have been fired from their jobs due to their religion, or have been denied employment. Employers are particularly sensitive to converts. Job applications, both in the private and public sectors, often require applicants to disclose their religion. Iranians can also usually infer from a person's last name whether they belong to a Christian ethnic minority, are Muslim, or belong to another religious or ethnic group. Christians may also face obstacles when starting a new business, obtaining business loans, or securing the necessary permits. In some cases, particularly in government positions, discrimination in employment is codified by law. Iran's Constitution requires Muslims to fill certain government positions, such as Supreme Leader, President, judges, and all members of Parliament except for five seats allocated to religious minorities, who must declare their support for Iran’s clerical rule.

2. Education

Article 13 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recognises "the right of everyone to education”, while Article 30 of the Iranian Constitution says "the government must provide free education for the entire nation, up to the end of secondary school”. However, Christians face significant discrimination in education, often resulting in expulsion or denial of admission to higher education institutions or universities, as well as the refusal to issue graduation certificates after completing coursework. As a general policy, the Iranian authorities punish citizens who engage in religious or political activities that the authorities object to, by barring them from higher education and thereby limiting their social advancement. A significant number of Christians interviewed by Article18 have been denied the right to continue their university education due to their peaceful religious activities.The case of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who faced legal action after objecting to his children being forced to take Islamic studies exams, also highlights the challenges faced by second-generation Persian-speaking Christians. In 2019, while serving a lengthy prison sentence on charges related to his faith, Pastor Nadarkhani continued his fight for his children's rights as Christians - the requirement is not imposed on children from recognised minorities, including Armenian and Assyrian Christians - by staging a three-week hunger strike.

3. Marriage and family law

Iran's laws on marriage and family explicitly discriminate against Christians and other non-Muslims in areas such as inheritance laws, the marriage of a Muslim woman to a non-Muslim man, child custody, and guardianship in divorce proceedings.The judicial ruling against Christian converts Sam Khosravi and Maryam Falahi in 2020 is a stark example of how Christians and other religious minorities are denied the right to adopt a Muslim child. Under pressure from security officials, a court in Bushehr ruled that Lydia, the couple's two-year-old adopted daughter, who had been in their care since she was three months old and whose parentage is unknown, could not remain in their custody because they were Christians and Lydia was considered a Muslim. This ruling received widespread condemnation domestically and internationally.Iran's Islamic penal code is also discriminatory in cases of consensual or non-consensual sexual relations, and in instances of violent crimes, imposing harsher punishments on non-Muslims.

Timeline: Incidents reported

  • Convert detained as 12 face trial after ‘identifying themselves as Christians’
    Twelve Christian converts, including one currently detained by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were due to appear...
  • ‘Propagating Christianity’ among charges against convert sentenced to 10 years in prison
    A Christian convert has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including engaging in “propaganda” by “propagating Christianity”,...
  • Christian converts incommunicado month after re-arrest
    Three Christian converts arrested in the northern Iranian city of Nowshahr last month remain in detention in an unknown location...
  • Detained Christian in ‘psychologically very bad condition and only cries’
    The brother-in-law of a Christian convert who remains detained nearly a month after her arrest says he fears his sister-in-law...
  • Christian convert released after nearly five years in prison
    A Christian convert whose only son died during his nearly five years in Evin Prison has been released after his...
  • Christian convert denied parole after ‘refusing forced confession’
    A Christian convert serving a two-year sentence in Evin Prison on charges related to her Christian activities has been denied...
  • Iranian-Armenian pastor acquitted, released from 10-year prison sentence
    A 62-year-old Iranian-Armenian pastor serving a 10-year prison sentence for leading a house-church has been acquitted and released after just...
  • Sister of convicted Christian converts detained by Ministry of Intelligence
    A Christian convert arrested a week ago in the southern city of Shiraz is still being held in an infamous...
  • Christian convert dies while awaiting result of appeal against prison sentence
    One of the eight Christian converts recently sentenced to a combined 45 years in prison for their involvement in house-churches...
  • Christian convert reportedly threatened with second conviction for publicising case
    A Christian convert serving a two-year prison sentence for “acting against national security by connecting with ‘Zionist’ Christian organisations” has...
  • Eight Christians sentenced to combined 45 years in prison
    Eight Iranian Christian converts have been sentenced to a combined total of nearly 45 years in prison. The eight, who...
  • Concern for Christian convert after two weeks’ detention in unknown location
    A Christian convert arrested last month remains in detention in an unknown location, as his wife and two daughters grow...
  • Armenian Christian given 10-year sentence ‘on judge’s intuition’
    An Armenian Christian has been condemned to 10 years in prison in Iran despite his lawyer arguing that the case...
  • Christian convert sentenced to five years in prison
    A Christian convert who was detained for over four months following his arrest on Christmas Eve has been sentenced to...
  • Hospital founded by American missionaries demolished
    A hospital founded by American missionaries 100 years ago and confiscated following the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979...
  • Monthly visits cancelled for pastor imprisoned 1,000 miles from family
    A pastor serving a six-year sentence in a prison 1,000 miles from his wife and daughter has been told he...
  • Imprisoned Christian convert needs psychological care, mother says
    A Christian convert and former asylum-seeker serving a two-year sentence in Evin Prison for “connecting with ‘Zionist’ Christian organisations” is...
  • Christian convert released on $10,000 bail after four months’ detention
    A Christian convert arrested on Christmas Eve has been released on bail equivalent to more than $10,000 after over four...
  • Former prisoner charged again with ‘propaganda against the state’ 
    A house-church member who served four months in prison in 2019 for “propaganda against the state” has been charged again...
  • Christian prisoner of conscience denied medical care
    Sixty-year-old Christian prisoner of conscience Mina Khajavi is reported to be struggling with pain and unable to access the medical...
  • Christian convert baptised in Malaysia given prison sentence on return to Iran
    A Christian convert who was baptised in a church in Malaysia has been sentenced to two years in prison in...
  • House-church member charged with ‘making false religious claims’
    A house-church member in a city near Tehran has been charged with “teaching activities that educate in a deviant way...
  • Christian convert released on bail of nearly $40,000
    A Christian convert detained for three weeks, following his arrest by Ministry of Intelligence agents, has been released on bail...
  • Christian convert imprisoned and exiled by Islamic Republic ‘died of heart attack’
    A Christian convert who had been imprisoned and exiled by the regime has been found dead aged 37.  Ebrahim Firouzi’s...
  • Brothers face ‘propaganda’ charges under amended Article 500
    Two brothers arrested before Christmas and detained for a month have been charged with “deviant educational or propaganda activities contrary...
  • Arrested Christian convert held incommunicado in unknown location, parents ‘very worried’
    A Christian convert arrested last week remains in detention in an unknown location, according to a report by an Iranian...
  • Lawyer who defended Christians summoned to prosecutor’s office
    A lawyer who has represented several Iranian Christians in court has been summoned to the prosecutor’s office in the city...
  • Christian convert, 60, summoned to begin prison sentence for house-church leadership
    A 60-year-old Iranian Christian convert has been summoned to begin her six-year prison sentence for “acting against national security by...
  • Armenian faces court hearing on charges of ‘promoting Christianity’
    An Armenian Christian who remains in Evin Prison nearly five months after his arrest faces a first court hearing this...
  • Christian convert still in custody after Christmas Eve arrest
    A Christian convert previously forced to attend “re-education” sessions with an Islamic cleric remains detained following his arrest during a...
  • Four Christian converts including Afghan refugee remain detained three weeks after arrest
    Four Christian converts, including an Afghan refugee, remain in detention over three weeks after their arrest in Shahriar, west of...
  • Armenian Christian remains in Evin Prison four months after arrest
    An Armenian citizen, who was one of over 100 Christians arrested in Iran this summer, remains detained in Evin Prison...
  • Two house-church members detained in unknown location after coordinated arrests
    A former prisoner of conscience and his brother remain in detention in an unknown location after four house-church members were...
  • House-church leader returns to prison after first home visit since sudden transfer
    A house-church leader serving a six-year sentence for “propagating Christianity” has returned to a prison on the other side of...
  • Converts released from prison but must report back daily for work
    Three “Church of Iran” members sentenced to five years in prison for their participation in house-churches have been permitted to...
  • Iranian-Armenian pastor begins 10-year sentence for his ‘disturbing’ teachings
    As Iran’s president was flying to New York this morning, an Iranian-Armenian pastor was handing himself in to prison in...
  • Iranian-Armenian pastor ‘pardoned’, released from prison
    Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian has been “pardoned” and released after just over a year in Tehran’s Evin Prison. The 59-year-old...
  • At least 10 still detained as numbers of arrests and affected cities rise
    A clearer picture is beginning to emerge of the dozens of arrests of Christians that took place over a seven-week...
  • Over 50 Christians in five cities arrested in new crackdown
    More than 50 Christian converts have been arrested in a rash of new incidents across five Iranian cities over the...
  • Pastor transferred to prison 1,000 miles from home and family
    An Iranian pastor who has spent most of the past four years behind bars has now been transferred to another...
  • Three Christian women held incommunicado for 40 days face court hearing on unknown charges
    Three Iranian women converts to Christianity arrested last month and held incommunicado in Tehran’s Evin Prison for 40 days face...
  • Convert flogged for second time, now faces exile
    A house-church leader who has already spent nearly five years in prison, and was once flogged for drinking Communion wine,...
  • Decade-long prison sentence for Iranian Christian reduced to two years
    A Court of Appeal in Tehran has cut a decade-long prison sentence for a Christian down to two years after...
  • Parkinson’s sufferer and wife acquitted, released from prison
    A 64-year-old Christian convert with advanced Parkinson’s disease and his wife have been acquitted and released from their combined 10-year...
  • Christian convert whose son has leukaemia released from prison
    A 50-year-old Christian convert whose son has been battling leukaemia for five years was released from prison on Monday, two...
  • Supreme Court orders retrial of Christian couple serving combined 10-year sentence
    An Iranian Christian couple serving a combined 10 years in prison for belonging to a house-church have had their third...
  • Supreme Court agrees to retrial of Iranian-Armenian pastor serving 10-year sentence
    Iran’s Supreme Court has agreed that an ethnic Armenian pastor serving a 10-year prison sentence for holding church services in...
  • Church Haik Hovsepian founded set to be sold by Iranian state
    A church of huge significance for Iranian Christians is set to be sold by an organisation headed by Iran's Supreme...
  • Fifth convert released amid mass pardoning of political prisoners
    A fifth convert has been released as part of the mass pardoning of political prisoners, while there are reports two...
  • Arbitrarily detained pastor released from prison but faces flogging and exile
    An Iranian pastor once sentenced to death for his “apostasy” has been “pardoned” and released after nearly five years in...
  • Third Christian convert released as part of latest pardons
    A third Christian convert was among the prisoners pardoned and released earlier this month, Article18 can now confirm. Mehdi Rokhparvar,...
  • Second convert released as part of Islamic Republic anniversary celebrations
    A second convert serving a long prison sentence for being part of a house-church has been released as part of...
  • #Place2Worship campaigner released after nearly five years in prison
    Saheb Fadaie, with his wife Marjan and daughter Marta. An Iranian convert jailed for “acting against national security by organising...
  • Wife of imprisoned pastor charged with ‘disturbing public opinion’
    The wife of a pastor serving a six-year prison sentence for “propagating Christianity” now faces her own charges of “propaganda...
  • Converts given short breaks from prison over Christmas
    Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh, Morteza Mashoodkari and Ahmad Sarparast (left to right) enjoying some time at home. Three “Church of Iran” members...
  • Iranian-Assyrian woman protester released on bail after month in prison
    An Iranian-Assyrian woman has been released on bail after more than a month in detention in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison...
  • Pastor arrested at Christmas gathering during leave from prison
    A “Church of Iran” pastor who had been on leave from prison since last summer was rearrested at a Christmas...
  • Converts cleared of wrongdoing in second trial on identical charges
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three “Church of Iran” members serving five-year prison sentences for...
  • Defenders of Christians among over 30 lawyers arrested
    Left to right: Babak Paknia, Bahar Sahraian, and Mustafa Nili. More than 30 lawyers, including at least three involved in...
  • Second Christian convert unexpectedly ‘pardoned’, released from Evin Prison
    A second Christian convert has been unexpectedly pardoned and released from Tehran's Evin Prison just a day after the release...
  • Christian convert freed after nearly five years in Evin Prison
    Christian prisoner of conscience Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh has been freed after nearly five years in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Nasser...
  • ‘Hellish night’ as Evin Prison set on fire, gunshots heard
    A fire at a Tehran prison housing hundreds of political prisoners, including a dozen Christians, caused widespread alarm on Saturday...
  • Iranian-Armenian pastor begins 10-year prison sentence
    An Iranian-Armenian pastor has today begun serving a 10-year prison sentence for holding church services in his home. Joseph Shahbazian,...
  • Christians lose appeal against imprisonment and fines for house-church activities
    Left to right: Malihe Nazari, Mina Khajavi, Joseph Shahbazian, Somayeh (Sonya) Sadegh, and Masoumeh Ghasemi. An Iranian court of appeal...
  • Iranian Christian with Parkinson’s disease and wife detained
    An Iranian Christian convert with advanced Parkinson’s disease and his wife have been detained in Tehran. Homayoun Zhaveh, who is...
  • Christian convert arrested, detained in Karaj on unknown charges
    A Christian convert from Karaj, near Tehran, has been arrested and remains in detention on unknown charges.  Mohammad Golbaz, who...
  • Supreme Court denies Christians retrial
    Left to right: Maryam (Khadijeh) Mohammadi, Anooshavan Avedian, and Abbas Soori. Three Iranian Christians have been informed that the Supreme...
  • Grandfather with cancer among four Christians arrested in Neyshabur
    A grandfather in his late fifties who has cancer is one of four Christian converts still detained more than three...
  • Converts face second trial on identical charges
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three house-church members already facing five years in prison for...
  • Convert fined and deprived of social rights for teaching others about Christianity
    A Christian convert has been fined and “deprived of social rights” for five years for “engaging in educational activities contrary...
  • Mother-of-three refused access to prison scheme allowing more time with children
    The women's ward of Lakan Prison in Rasht (Photo: Mojnews) An Iranian mother-of-three serving a two-year sentence for “spreading ‘Zionist’...
  • Convert’s continued imprisonment a ‘deterrent’ to other Christians, says lawyer
    An Iranian Christian prisoner of conscience recently adopted by the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief has...
  • Youhan Omidi returns home from four years’ prison and exile
    After two years in prison and nearly two more in internal exile over 1,000km from his home and family -...
  • Anooshavan Avedian awaits imprisonment as converts summoned to Tehran prosecutor  
    Left to right: Maryam (Khadijeh) Mohammadi, Anooshavan Avedian, and Abbas Soori. A 60-year-old Iranian-Armenian Christian is awaiting a summons to...
  • Confiscated Church-owned retreat centre set to be repurposed
    Photographs showing some of the Christian events that took place at the retreat centre, and of the confiscation order. A...
  • Converts’ five-year prison sentences for ‘deviant beliefs’ upheld
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh Three house-church members who have been held for over a...
  • Christian prisoner of conscience awaiting results of MRI scan
    There are renewed concerns over the health of a 60-year-old Christian convert, who has spent the past four and a...
  • Seven Iranian Christians sentenced to total of 32 years in prison
    Malihe Nazari (left), Joseph Shahbazian and Mina Khajavi face a combined 22 years in prison. An Iranian-Armenian pastor has been...
  • House-church leader loses appeal as seven other Christians await verdict 
    Left to right: Maryam (Khadijeh) Mohammadi, Anooshavan Avedian, and Abbas Soori. An appeal court has upheld a 10-year prison sentence for...
  • House-church members still detained, families told upcoming appeal doomed
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three house-church members already facing five-year prison sentences remain in...
  • Converts already facing charges re-arrested in Rasht
    Left to right: Behnam Akhlaghi, Morteza Mashoodkari, Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh, Ahmad Sarparast, and Babak Hosseinzadeh. Four "Church of Iran" members already...
  • 10-year sentence for Iranian-Armenian for ‘disturbing’ Christian teaching
    An Iranian-Armenian Christian faces 10 years in prison for teaching other Christians in his home, or what a notorious judge...
  • Illegally detained pastor returns to prison after first furlough in four years
    Arbitrarily detained pastor Yousef Nadarkhani must return to Tehran’s Evin Prison today after enjoying his first visit home in nearly...
  • Second woman convert began prison sentence on Easter Saturday
    A second Iranian woman convert began a two-year prison sentence on Easter Saturday on charges related to the practice of...
  • Christian convert arrested in Anzali, family in distress
    A Christian convert in Iran was arrested after a dozen plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) raided his...
  • Christian woman convert begins two-year prison sentence
    A 51-year-old woman Christian convert today began serving a two-year prison sentence in Tehran's Evin prison for “acting against national...
  • Converts given five-year sentences for ‘deviant propaganda’ 
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three converts have been sentenced to five years in prison...
  • Anglican bishop of Iran’s official residence turned into a museum
    The bishop's house is now a museum, flanked on one side by flags of the Islamic Republic, and with pictures...
  • Supreme Court summarily dismisses Christian convert’s long-awaited retrial bid
    Only one day after nine Christian converts were acquitted of “acting against national security” by worshipping in house-churches, another Christian...
  • Case closed: Converts’ house-church worship was not ‘action against national security’
    Clockwise from top-left: Mohammad Vafadar, Kamal Naamanian, Hossein Kadivar, Behnam Akhlaghi, Abdolreza (Matthias) Ali-Haghnejad, Shahrooz Eslamdoust, Khalil Dehghanpour, Babak Hosseinzadeh,...
  • Four Christians unwell after suspected Covid-19 outbreak in Evin Prison
    Left to right: Moslem Rahimi, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Yousef Nadarkhani, and Saheb Fadaie. Four Christian prisoners of conscience in Tehran’s...
  • ‘We are just Christians worshipping according to the Bible,’ say converts in last defence
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three converts facing up to 10 years in prison for...
  • Converts absolved by Supreme Court now face ‘propaganda’ charges
    Behnam Akhlaghi (left) and Babak Hosseinzadeh. Two of the nine converts cleared by a Supreme Court judge of “acting against...
  • Converts summoned to begin prison sentences for ‘spreading “Zionist” Christianity’
    Three converts from the northern city of Rasht have been summoned to begin serving prison sentences of between two and...
  • Converts charged with ‘deviant propaganda’ under amended Article 500
    Left to right: Ahmad Sarparast, Morteza Mashoodkari, and Ayoob Poor-Rezazadeh. Three converts from the northern city of Rasht are the...
  • Converts cleared of any crime must now attend ‘re-education’ classes
    Left to right: Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, Mohammad Kayidgap, Esmaeil Narimanpour, and Alireza Varak-Shah, four of the eight Christian converts...
  • Date set for historic appeal hearing
    Clockwise from top-left: Shahrooz Eslamdoust, Mehdi Khatibi, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Hossein Kadivar, Mohammad Vafadar, Abdolreza (Matthias) Ali-Haghnejad, Behnam Akhlaghi, Khalil Dehghanpour,...
  • Iran’s Supreme Court agrees to review Christian convert’s 10-year prison sentence
    Iran’s Supreme Court has finally agreed to review the case of a Christian convert serving a 10-year prison sentence for...
  • Isfahan brothers still missing after Christmas arrest
    Mahmoud Mardani-Kharaji (left) and his brother Mansour. Two brothers remain missing more than a month after their arrest at a...
  • Christian converts conclude prison sentences, but one now faces exile
    Habib Heydari (left) and Sasan Khosravi. Two Christian converts have been released from prison at the conclusion of their one-year...

Latest news and updates

4th December 2024Iran’s Catholic archbishop has admitted that the doors to the churches he oversees are “closed to almost everyone”, and said […] [...]Read more...
2nd December 2024The Georgian immigration authorities consistently refuse the asylum claims of Iranian Christians, despite their well-founded fears of persecution should they […] [...]Read more...
27th November 2024Pope Francis has said it is “a lie” to say the Catholic Church is opposed to the government of the […] [...]Read more...
26th November 2024Twelve Christian converts, including one currently detained by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), were due to appear […] [...]Read more...
21st November 2024The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee adopted a resolution yesterday expressing “serious concern” at “ongoing severe limitations and increasing restrictions […] [...]Read more...
20th November 2024The exiled son of the former Shah of Iran has highlighted the “widespread and rampant persecution” of Christians and other […] [...]Read more...
18th November 2024A Christian convert has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges including engaging in “propaganda” by “propagating Christianity”, […] [...]Read more...
8th November 2024The new UN special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran has pledged to […] [...]Read more...
23rd October 2024Over five times as many Iranian Christian refugees were resettled in the United States last year than in 2020, according […] [...]Read more...

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Article18 is your source for news on the persecution of Christians in Iran. We're constantly monitoring the situation on the ground and can offer interviews and provide further details on incidents reported on this website.

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