Arrested Christian convert held incommunicado in unknown location, parents ‘very worried’ 22 January 2024 News Photo: Mohabat News A Christian convert arrested last week remains in detention in an unknown location, according to a report by an Iranian Christian news site. Iman Golzar was arrested at his home in Dezful, western Iran, at midnight on 16 January by plainclothes agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, who showed no warrant and confiscated his computer and CCTV cameras, according to Mohabat News. Iman was then reportedly taken away to an unknown location, with no news of him since, despite the efforts of his parents, who are deaf, to discover his whereabouts and condition. His parents are said to be “very worried about him” but were told to stop asking questions about him, and threatened that they would be “dealt with” should they continue pursuing his case. Iman is the second Christian convert from Dezful to have been arrested in recent weeks; Esmaeil Narimanpour, who was arrested on Christmas Eve, also remains in detention. At least three other Christians were arrested over the Christmas period in separate incidents in the nearby cities of Ahvaz and Izeh, though Article18 is not able to provide any more information about those arrests at this stage.
Iran once again ranked among top 10 persecutors of Christians 17 January 2024 News The 2024 World Watch List by Open Doors International. Countries in red show places where Christians suffer “extreme” persecution, while in orange countries it is at “very high levels”. Iran has once again been named among the top 10 worst persecutors of Christians. Iran ranks in 9th place on the 2024 World Watch List, published today by Article18’s partner organisation, Open Doors International. Last year Iran ranked in 8th place, but Iran’s overall “score” remained the same, meaning its one-place improvement on the list – a return to its 2022 ranking – was a reflection of worsening conditions in another country (namely Sudan), rather than any improvement for Christians inside Iran. “There has been very little change in score in the WWL 2024 reporting period,” Open Doors explains. “Pressure has remained extreme in virtually all Spheres of Life, and violence [against Christians in Iran] has risen very slightly. “Following the ‘Women, Life Freedom’ demonstrations, sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini at the hands of Iran’s Morality Police, the Iranian authorities have tightened their authoritarian grip on any perceived dissent. “The authorities see Christianity as a Western attempt to undermine the Islamic order. Church leaders are being punished harshly, often with long prison sentences. And there has been growing involvement from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in conducting raids on house churches.” The World Watch List has been produced since 1993, ranking the top 50 countries in which Christians are persecuted by assessing six criteria: pressure levels in private, family, community and national life, as well as in church communities, and how much violence Christians suffer. Iran scores especially highly on pressure to church communities. “Most church services are monitored by the police, which leads to fear for attendees,” notes Open Doors. “Armenian and Assyrian Christians may conduct services in their own languages as long as they do not welcome Muslim-background Christians. Armenians and Assyrians also run some state-subsidized schools; however, the headteachers are generally Muslim. “Over the past few years, the government has intensified efforts to remove Persian-speaking Christians from Iran by shutting down house churches and arresting both leaders and members. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, all four remaining Persian-speaking churches were closed indefinitely and have not been allowed to reopen.” The other countries in the top 10 this year are North Korea, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sudan and Afghanistan. Open Doors says that 365 million Christians worldwide today face “high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith”, up from 360 million in 2023.
Lawyer who defended Christians summoned to prosecutor’s office 12 January 2024 News A lawyer who has represented several Iranian Christians in court has been summoned to the prosecutor’s office in the city where he used to live and work. Iman Soleimani, whose previous clients include former prisoners of conscience Joseph Shahbazian and Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh – both of whom were sentenced to 10 years in prison for their involvement in house-churches – has been told he must come to the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Bandar-e Mahshahr on Tuesday, 16 January. Bandar-e Mahshahr, a port city at the northern tip of the Persian Gulf, is not far from Dezful, where Mr Soleimani once defended a number of other Christian converts who were forced to undergo religious “re-education” sessions with an Islamic cleric. One of those converts, Esmaeil Narimanpour, was recently re-arrested and remains in custody. Mr Soleimani also previously defended three converts who were sentenced to five years in prison for their participation in house-churches, and whose trial he was highly critical of. “I’ve been involved with this case from the beginning,” Mr Soleimani wrote on Twitter, “and volumes of unspoken stories could be written regarding the shortcomings of how the arrest and preliminary investigations took place, the illegal proceedings in the Revolutionary Court in Rasht, and even the way my defendants were wrongfully condemned for someone else’s interview about them with Iran International.” Mr Soleimani has been summoned previously to answer questions regarding his work, and his latest summons highlights once again the challenges facing lawyers who represent clients whose charges relate to alleged breaches of “national security”, as is the case for many arrested Christians. Many other lawyers have been arrested and in some cases imprisoned in Iran in recent years for their defence of prisoners of conscience including Christians. Recent examples include Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, Amirsalar Davoudi, Babak Paknia, Bahar Sahraian, and Mustafa Nili, all of whom had defended Christians in court. As a result of the personal danger involved in representing Christians, many Christians testify that they have found it hard to find a lawyer willing to defend them. “We looked for a lawyer, but no-one was willing to represent us due to the nature of our charges,” said one arrested Christian convert, Touraj Shirani, in his recent Witness Statement. Another, Sanaz Karami, put it this way: “After I was released on bail … I went to several places to find a lawyer, but most weren’t willing to represent ‘security’ cases. They said: ‘These cases are full of trouble and failure, and it’s impossible for us to win!’ The only lawyer who agreed to take on the case wanted a high salary, but my husband’s uncle said: ‘Don’t bother! It’s obvious he can’t do anything to help; he just wants to take your money and later say, ‘I tried my best but unfortunately it didn’t work.’”
Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey no longer eligible for US resettlement scheme 10 January 2024 News Iranian Christians in Turkey are no longer eligible for resettlement to the US as part of the refugee sponsorship programme launched last year, despite Iran being re-designated last week as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC) by the US Secretary of State for “having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom”. The US State Department has regularly designated Iran as a CPC for its continued religious-freedom (FoRB) violations, including against Christians, and last January Iranian Christian refugees were given fresh hope when the US launched a new sponsorship scheme under which refugees may be resettled. Article18’s report in June 2023 on the ‘The Plight of Iranian Christians Claiming International Protection in Türkiye’ highlighted the “critical need” for new resettlement opportunities and sponsorship programmes for Iranian Christian refugees. However, the US State Department recently removed Turkey from the list of countries from which refugees may be resettled, in another blow to the many hundreds of Iranian Christian refugees currently stuck in Turkey. “Some of the Iranian Christian refugees in Turkey interviewed by Article18 have gone so far as to say that the news of their exclusion from the US sponsorship scheme was a more traumatic low even than their time of imprisonment in Iran,” said Article18’s director, Mansour Borji. “So while we welcome the re-designation of Iran, rightly, as a Country of Particular Concern, because of its FoRB violations, we urge the US government, as recommended in our recently published report, to expedite the resettlement of these refugees, who are are at risk of deportation and some of whom face prison sentences in Iran on account of their religious activities.” Iran was one of just 12 countries to receive the CPC designation last week, alongside Myanmar, China, Cuba, North Korea, Eritrea, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Russia, Saudia Arabia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan. Five other countries – Algeria, Azerbaijan, the Central African Republic, Comoros and Vietnam – were designated as “Special Watch List” countries for “engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom”. “Significant violations of religious freedom also occur in countries that are not designated,” said Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. “Governments must end abuses such as attacks on members of religious minority communities and their places of worship, communal violence and lengthy imprisonment for peaceful expression, transnational repression, and calls to violence against religious communities, among other violations that occur in too many places around the world.” “The challenges to religious freedom across the globe are structural, systemic, and deeply entrenched,” he added. “But with thoughtful, sustained commitment from those who are unwilling to accept hatred, intolerance, and persecution as the status quo we will one day see a world where all people live with dignity and equality.”
Christian convert, 60, summoned to begin prison sentence for house-church leadership 5 January 2024 News A 60-year-old Iranian Christian convert has been summoned to begin her six-year prison sentence for “acting against national security by promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity” through leadership of a house-church. Mina Khajavi, who was arrested back in 2020, was sentenced in 2022 alongside fellow Christian convert Malihe Nazari, who also received a six-year sentence, and Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian, who was sentenced to 10 years. Mina shortly after the accident. However, while Joseph and Malihe began serving their sentences a few months later, Mina was viewed as being unfit to serve her sentence, after she was run over by a car. Mina’s ankle was badly broken, and metal plates had to be fitted. Mina continues to walk with a limp today and has developed arthritis, but on Wednesday, 3 January, she was told she must submit herself to Evin Prison within five days. This is in spite of the fact that both Joseph and Malihe, who were convicted on the same charge, were released early from their sentences. Joseph’s sentence was initially reduced to two years, after an appeal-court judge ruled there was “not enough evidence to determine the maximum punishment specified in Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code”, which relates to the organisation of groups that “threaten national security”. Then in September 2023, Joseph was completely “pardoned” and released. Malihe, meanwhile, had been released earlier in 2023, reportedly due to the deteriorating health of her son, who was in hospital with leukaemia. An X-ray shows the metal plates now fitted in Mina’s ankle. Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, commented: “Article18 is shocked by the unjust sentence that was initially handed down to Mrs Khajavi for exercising her right to freedom of religion or belief. We are further appalled by the absurdity of the summons to serve that sentence, despite the serious physical harm that prison conditions can potentially cause her. “We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional acquittal of Mrs Khajavi, who is sentenced to prison on account of her Christian faith. We also urge Iran to end the harassment of the Christian community and to respect the November 2021 Supreme Court ruling that ‘the promotion of Christianity and formation of a house-church is not criminalised in law’ and should not be deemed a threat to national security.”
Armenian faces court hearing on charges of ‘promoting Christianity’ 5 January 2024 News An Armenian Christian who remains in Evin Prison nearly five months after his arrest faces a first court hearing this Sunday on charges of “propaganda against the state through the promotion of Christianity”. Hakop Gochumyan, who is 35 years old, will be tried at the 26th Branch of Tehran’s Revolutionary Court on 7 January. Hakop’s wife, Elisa, an Iranian-Armenian who was also detained in Evin Prison for two months before her release in October, recorded an emotional video message in support of her husband just before Christmas. In the video, a copy of which was sent to Article18, Elisa described how she and Hakop were arrested in August by agents from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence while having dinner with some friends. “I still don’t know why they detained us,” Elisa said. “We are Christians and we did nothing illegal. “Christmas is near and our children ask me: ‘When is daddy coming home?’ I don’t know how to answer them.” Elisa Shahvardian, Iranian-Armenian Christian: “We had gone to Iran as a family to visit my grandmother, when on August 24, agents from Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence arrested me and my husband while having dinner at our friends' house and took them to Evin prison. I spent the… pic.twitter.com/qHsNjV8WPP — Article18 (@articleeighteen) December 27, 2023 Elisa described her time in Evin Prison as “the hardest days of my life”. Hakop and Elisa were two of over 100 Christians arrested within the space of three months last summer in Iran, but they remain the only ones whose names and faces have been publicised. The couple, who live in Armenia, were visiting Iran with their two children when they were arrested on 15 August in Pardis, just outside Tehran. After over two months in detention, Elisa was released on bail equivalent to $40,000 on 19 October, after which she returned to Armenia to be reunited with her children, who had returned home in September with a relative. Elisa’s bail had initially been set at $100,000, but her family protested that they could not afford the amount, and it was reduced by half. Elisa is the daughter of a well-known Iranian-Armenian pastor, Rafi Shahverdian, who passed away last year, having led a church in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, since leaving Iran in 1993. Christianity is a recognised minority religion in Iran, and Iranians of Armenian and Assyrian descent are afforded a degree of freedom to worship, provided that they do not evangelise to Iranians from Muslim backgrounds. Church services are strictly monitored to ensure non-Muslims do not attend, while churches that once offered services in the national language of Persian have been forced to cease this provision or to close. Several Christians of Armenian and Assyrian descent have been arrested and imprisoned in recent years for continuing to preach to Iranians from a Muslim background, such as Iranian-Armenian pastor Anooshavan Avedian, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence on charges of “engaging in propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam”.
Christian convert still in custody after Christmas Eve arrest 3 January 2024 News A Christian convert previously forced to attend “re-education” sessions with an Islamic cleric remains detained following his arrest during a Christmas Eve raid on his home in Dezful, western Iran. Esmaeil Narimanpour’s home was searched and his Christian books confiscated during the 6pm raid, though the arresting agents did not have a warrant. Esmaeil was able to call his family briefly on Christmas Day to tell them that he was being held in Ahvaz, 150km south of Dezful. However, when his wife and brother went to follow up on his case, they were themselves questioned and detained for several hours. At least three other Christians were reportedly arrested over the Christmas period in separate incidents in Ahvaz and Izeh, 200km east of Ahvaz, though Article18 is not at liberty to provide any more information about these arrests. Meanwhile, four Christian converts, including an Afghan refugee, remain detained following their arrest after an 11 December raid on a house-church gathering near Tehran. Article18’s director Mansour Borji commented: “We are outraged that Christians in Iran have yet again been arrested during the Christmas season, when the Iranian government has continued its pattern of intimidation and crackdown on Christians during this holy season. “We’re particularly concerned for the safety and well-being of those detained, and especially for the Afghan refugee, who is even more vulnerable.”
Four Christian converts including Afghan refugee remain detained three weeks after arrest 3 January 2024 News Four Christian converts, including an Afghan refugee, remain in detention over three weeks after their arrest in Shahriar, west of Tehran. Siroos Khosravi. The arrests followed an 11 December raid by 30 intelligence agents on a house-church gathering, where around 25 men, women and children had gathered to pray and worship together and to plan their Christmas celebration. The agents read out the names of three of the individuals present, two of whom – a woman in her early thirties and a 70-year-old man – were taken into custody that night, while the third, a man named Siroos Khosravi, was detained three days later after answering a summons for further questioning. All three of the individuals whose names had been read out were driven to their homes, which were searched, while all others present at the gathering were forced to fill out forms containing questions regarding their Christian faith and activities, and told they would soon be summoned for further questioning. The Afghan refugee was arrested separately, though the details of his arrest remains unknown; his fate was only discovered when the families of those arrested in Shahriar saw him in handcuffs alongside their loved ones, when visiting the prosecutor’s office to seek information about them the day after their arrests. Article18’s director Mansour Borji commented: “We are outraged that Christians in Iran have yet again been arrested during the Christmas season, when the Iranian government has continued its pattern of intimidation and crackdown on Christians during this holy season. “We’re particularly concerned for the safety and well-being of those detained, and especially for the Afghan refugee, who is even more vulnerable.”
‘Christmas is always a reminder of our arrest and imprisonment’ 22 December 2023 Features Four Iranian Christians who were arrested at Christmas time or spent the festive season in prison have shared with Article18 how Iranian Christians celebrate Jesus’ birth with a mixture of joy and trepidation. “We used to celebrate most of the New Year and Christmas days in fear and worry,” recalls Pastor Farhad Sabokrooh, who was arrested in 2011 during a Christmas gathering for the church he and his wife led in their home in Ahvaz, western Iran. “For me and my family, the days of Christmas and New Year are always a reminder of our arrest, going to jail, exile, and finally being forced out of Iran.” Amin Afshar-Naderi, who was arrested in Tehran three Christmases later, says “every time Christmas and New Year approaches, the joy of Jesus’ presence on Earth for me clashes with the memories of my arrest and imprisonment”. Amin was arrested alongside his pastor, Iranian-Assyrian Victor Bet-Tamraz, and another Christian convert, Kavian Fallah-Mohammadi. All three were later sentenced to 10 years in prison for their role in their house-church, and Amin an additional five years for “blasphemy”. “This occasion is to celebrate the birth of our saviour, who came to save us from the burden of sins and captivity, but in practice, for Christians in Iran, it has turned into a trap by the government so that they can be identified and arrested and detained under false pretences,” Amin says. “I spent one Christmas and two New Year Eves in Evin Prison, and as this holiday approaches, I am reminded of the sadness and loneliness of the prison cell every time, and the reality that this fate can await other Christians who, despite the risk of arrest, want to celebrate the birth of Christ together. This isn’t something that the people who are trying to be exemplary citizens for the society deserve.” Homayoun Shekoohi spent four Christmases in prison because of his membership of a house-church, and bemoans: “If for all the Christians in the world Christ’s birthday is full of joy, in my country it is a day full of anxiety and it is the day when most of the arrests of Christians are made. “It is really sad that a government, instead of bringing happiness to its people on such a joyous day, causes them sorrow.” Vahid Hakani. Finally, Vahid Hakani, who spent three Christmases in prison alongside Homayoun, explained how his house-church used to take special precautions over the Christmas period: “A year before we were arrested, we talked to the owner of a property near Shiraz and gathered there for a Christmas party,” he said. “There was a bit of a split between us church leaders as to whether we should do it or not. On the one hand, everyone wanted to have this celebration like the rest of the Christians around the world, but on the other hand, there was a fear that this large group would attract agents of the Ministry of Intelligence, who would come and make arrests and ruin everything. “But we went there anyway. We decorated it, and set up a Christmas tree. We made dinner, and everything went well, though we were very scared – not all of us, but those who were anxious that something might happen. Thank God, it went well and there was no problem that evening. But the following year, Christmas coincided with the Muharram period [Shia Muslims’ mourning month] and we found another location for our event. We even made a deposit for food and the venue, but then we prayed and decided not to go ahead with the plan. “Although we all wanted to celebrate this Christmas event like all Christians and even non-Christians across the world, we cancelled it because we were afraid that we would be arrested. Well, many in the church were upset because they didn’t understand many of these things. In fact, none of us felt good that year, but we prayed and were united in our decision not to hold the celebration that year. “That same year, we found out that many Christians were arrested during the Christmas service held in Ahvaz church. But anyway, that February we were arrested ourselves, and spent Christmas in prison for the next three years. “It is very, very difficult for a Christian – and particularly a Christian convert – to have this celebration in Iran. If they celebrate it, they’ll do it with a lot of anxiety and fear, and if they don’t, it always makes a mark in their hearts that they are denied the a celebration that everyone enjoys around the world, but they have to refrain from celebrating it because of the security issues. “And even in prison, it really bothers you a lot that you can’t spend these special days and these special occasions with your loved ones. It really bothers you a lot.”
Armenian Christian remains in Evin Prison four months after arrest 21 December 2023 News An Armenian citizen, who was one of over 100 Christians arrested in Iran this summer, remains detained in Evin Prison more than four months later. Hakop Gochumyan, 35, was visiting Iran with his wife Elisa, who is an Iranian-Armenian, and their two children, when they were arrested on 15 August in Pardis, just outside Tehran. The couple and their children, who are aged seven and 10, were having dinner at a friend’s home, when a dozen plainclothes agents of the Ministry of Intelligence raided the property. The agents confiscated personal belongings, including some Christian books, and then took the Gochumyan family back to Elisa’s grandmother’s house, where they had been staying for the summer holidays. The agents searched this property as well, before taking Hakop and Elisa away to Evin Prison, leaving their children in the custody of an aunt. Hakop and Elisa were then placed in solitary confinement in the notorious Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, and subjected to intense psychological torture and back-to-back interrogation sessions, each lasting between two to five hours. Neither Hakop nor Elisa were informed of any official charges against them, in violation of Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran has ratified without reservation. After over two months in detention, Elisa was released on bail equivalent to $40,000 on 19 October, after which she returned to Armenia to be reunited with her children, who had returned home in September with a relative. Elisa’s bail had initially been set at $100,000, but her family protested that they could not afford the amount, and it was reduced by half. Hakop, meanwhile, remains in prison. Speaking to Article18, Elisa said the intelligence agents had accused her of engaging in “illegal Christian activities”, but she said she didn’t know where the accusation stemmed from and that she and her husband had done nothing illegal, nor even engaged in any Christian activities during their visit to Iran. Elisa is the daughter of a well-known Iranian-Armenian pastor, Rafi Shahverdian, who passed away earlier this year, having led a church in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, since leaving Iran in 1993. Over 100 Christians were arrested between June and September this year, in a series of arrests across 11 Iranian cities, but this is the first time that any of the arrested Christians have given permission for their names to be made public. Some of those released were forced to sign commitments to refrain from further Christian activities, or ordered to attend Islamic re-education sessions. Others said they were summoned for further questioning in the days after their release, or ordered to leave Iran. Another reported that his employment was terminated at the orders of the Ministry of Intelligence.