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The Iranian regime continues to use the voices of its recognised Christian minority as part of its propaganda drive against the ongoing protests in the country.

The latest example is a set of public statements – evidently penned by the intelligence services but bearing the insignia of the main branches of the Armenian and Assyrian churches in Tehran – released over the past two weeks.

The statements, which differ slightly in wording but not in tone, lament not the killing of more than 450 of protesters, including over 60 children, but the lost lives of security forces who have died “defending national security”.

In keeping with regime rhetoric, the protests are referred to as “disturbances”, blamed on “enemies” and “foreigners”, and support is declared for the “noble system” of the Islamic Republic.

The statements come after 40-50 Assyrian youths who either participated in or announced support online for protests were warned by their church leaders and MP, Sharli Envieh, at the behest of the security services.

The Assyrian former MP, Yonathan Betkolia, then gave a lengthy interview to state media, in which he called protesters and those who “incite” them a “poisonous fungus” and “cancerous tumour” that “must be operated on and separated from the Iranian Christian community”.

But while these leading Christian representatives inside the country continue to toe the party line, a host of Iranian-Armenian and Assyrian citizens from inside and outside the country have now come together to show they have a very different perspective. 

In videos posted on social media, over 35 Iranian-Armenians and Assyrians express their full support for the protesters, whom they call their “heroes” and “brave brothers and sisters”, and repeat the slogan of the new revolution: “women, life, freedom.”

In one video, an Assyrian opens with the words, “In the name of the God of the rainbow” – as did the captain of Iran’s football team at the World Cup – in reference to a 10-year-old boy, Kian Pirfalak, killed in the protests who made a wooden vessel which he dedicated to this deity.

And Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, says that it is in these videos – and not the words of the church leaders – that the true voice of the Assyrian and Armenian minority can be found.

“Assyrians living inside the country who have engaged in protests have been silenced and at least 50 warned after posting online in support of the uprising,” he said. “And this has only been those identified with online surveillance. So, there may be more who are on the streets but refrain from online activities. 

“And given the small size of their community [approximately 20,000-25,000 Assyrians live in Iran] their level of engagement has been considerable.

“No-one can say for certain that a majority are supportive of protests – or of the government for that matter! There are no reliable surveys in this respect. But as an indicator, for a small community to be warned in such a manner – with their MP and religious leaders summoned to a meeting with intelligence officials – and then forcing a statement out of each church denomination and providing a list of names of active protesters; all of this exposes the threat the regime faces, and the heavy investment they have made in time and resources to counter it. 

“In other words, the counter measures used tell you something about the level of threat they sense.”

Article18 director Mansour Borji has welcomed yesterday’s historic decision by UN Human Rights Council members to send a fact-finding mission to investigate claims of human rights violations related to the ongoing protests.

“This isn’t final – there is more to do,” Mr Borji said, “but I really hope that this is now the beginning of the end for Iran’s sense of impunity, and that they now sense that they are accountable to the world and international institutions.”

Ahead of the session, Article18 and partner organisation CSW circulated a joint submission to member states, in which we argued that, “at their core, the ongoing protests are a cry for freedom: the freedom of the Iranian people to live in a way that corresponds with their beliefs”.

“Mahsa Amini was arrested, and ultimately killed, because she was deemed to have failed to properly adhere to the dress code of the majority faith – a dress code that for nearly 44 years has been imposed on Iranians of all faiths and none,” we said.

“We do not believe that this is right. Furthermore, we believe that by imposing such a dress code on all Iranians, the Islamic Republic is failing to abide by its obligations as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which articulates the right to ‘have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and … to manifest [ones] religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.’”

You can read the full text of the submission below.

Article18 and CSW would like to express our appreciation for the convening of a special session on Iran by the Human Rights Council. We also extend our condolences to all who are mourning, and our solidarity to those continuing to risk their lives in the search for justice.

At their core, the ongoing protests are a cry for freedom: the freedom of the Iranian people to live in a way that corresponds with their beliefs. 

Mahsa Amini was arrested, and ultimately killed, because she was deemed to have failed to properly adhere to the dress code of the majority faith – a dress code that for nearly 44 years has been imposed on Iranians of all faiths and none.

We do not believe that this is right. Furthermore, we believe that by imposing such a dress code on all Iranians, the Islamic Republic is failing to abide by its obligations as a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which articulates the right to ‘have or adopt a religion or belief of his choice, and … to manifest [ones] religion or belief in worship, observance, practice and teaching.’

Even in its constitution, the Islamic Republic fails to adhere to these guidelines, by only recognising Islam, as well as Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism.  All other religions or beliefs – such as Baha’ism, Yarsanism, Mandaeism, Irreligion, and conversion, particularly to Christianity – remain unrecognised. Adherents face discrimination, harassment, and even persecution^[1] through arrest, imprisonment, denial of education, torture, confiscation of property, among other things, and even recognised religious and belief minorities do not enjoy equal rights, experiencing widespread discrimination. 

We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a ‘bellwether right’: its absence or severe restriction is an early warning or indication of a deterioration in the general situation of human rights, which could eventually occasion civil unrest. Freedom of religion or belief ‘encourages respect for diversity, and its free exercise contributes towards strengthening democracy, development, rule of law, peace and stability. Neglecting, restricting or routinely violating this right can have far-reaching and serious consequences,’^[2] as we are currently observing in Iran.

With the death toll set to mount even further amidst the indiscriminate use of live ammunition against unarmed men, women and children, and as the regime institutes a policy of pronouncing death sentences on protestors for allegedly ‘waging war against God’ when they are simply calling for greater rights and freedoms, we are urging the Council to initiate stronger measures to assist Iranian citizens including:

• Urgently mandating and resourcing an independent investigative mechanism to closely monitor the current situation alongside the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, with a focus on evidence gathering, and ensuring accountability for crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations which have occurred during the course of these protests.
• Ensuring that future dialogues and interactions with Iran will be contingent on ending the use of excessive force and fast-tracked courts which lack due process and issue excessive sentences, releasing all who are currently detained arbitrarily in connection with the protests, returning the bodies of victims to their families in a timely manner, and facilitating the full enjoyment of the rights and freedoms articulated in the ICCPR.  
• Fully supporting the work of the Special Rapporteur on Iran, and ensuring the mandate has every resource required to fulfil its duties. 
• Encouraging the Special Rapporteur and other UN Special Procedures and Treaty Bodies to include the right to freedom of religion or belief in their monitoring and reporting, addressing the unique vulnerabilities and violations faced by religious or belief communities and those seeking to assist them. 
• The formulation by individual nations of effective measures to bring to account Iranian officials suspected of committing crimes under international law, and Iranian oligarchs and their families living abroad, including through human rights sanctions regimes, asset freezes, travel bans, and invoking extraterritorial jurisdiction wherever and whenever possible.

^[1] By ‘Persecution’ we mean ‘the intentional and severe deprivation of fundamental rights contrary to international law by reason of the identity of the group or collectivity’ (Art. 7.2. g Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court).

^[2] CSW, “Freedom of Religion or Belief Around the World”, 2018

The former parliamentary representative of Iran’s Assyrian minority has launched a barely believable attack on Christians inside and outside the country who have either participated in or encouraged participation in the ongoing protests.

In a lengthy interview with state media outlet ISNA, Yonathan Betkolia calls the “rioters” – the word used by regime figures to describe protesters – and those who have “incited” them a “poisonous fungus” and “cancerous tumour” that “must be operated on and separated from the Iranian Christian community”.

Mr Betkolia, who served five terms in the Iranian parliament, has for a long time been a controversial figure who has on many occasions toed the regime line, and this latest interview is no exception. 

The former representative begins the interview, when asked for his analysis of “the events that started with the death of Ms Mahsa Amini”, by not once mentioning the young woman by name or offering sympathy to her family, but instead launching straight into a criticism of the “opportunists”, as he calls them, who have used her death as an “excuse” to begin demonstrations, which, he says, have since been “diverted from their original path”.

For this reason, he says, he has always discouraged Christians from participating in demonstrations.

Mr Betkolia goes on to seemingly defend the mandatory hijab laws in Iran, which are also imposed upon non-Muslims – including Christians – by highlighting that Assyrian women, too, wear headscarves in church.

He then even thanks Iran’s security forces for, as he puts it, their “humane approach” towards Christians in warning Assyrians not to participate in further demonstrations.

This shows the Islamic Republic’s “positive and humane view of Christians”, Mr Betkolia says.

“I kiss the hands of these loved ones [Iran’s security forces],” he adds, “and pray God goes behind you and protects you.”

Mr Betkolia also heaps praise on Iran’s Supreme Leader, hailing him for the“small” but “impressive” gesture of once eating the homemade cake of an Assyrian woman. 

Ayatollah Khamenei’s “encouraging” and “sincere behaviour” “shocked the world”, Mr Betkolia says, and “more attention should have been paid to it”. 

Christians should “be grateful for having such a country and leader”, he says.

The former representative says he wishes the protests had “never happened”, and that “we would all join hands to fix our problems”.

“The way to solve problems is not to break and set fire to things,” he says, “or start controversies by sharing photos and videos in cyberspace.”

When asked by the interviewer whether there are “problems of disobedience” within the Assyrian community, Mr Betkolia blames the Covid-19 pandemic for decreasing the engagement of young Assyrians with the church, leading, he says, to a number – “no greater in number than the fingers of one hand” – “gathering and making plans for themselves … for which they were warned”. 

“I hope they stop their work,” he adds. 

Perhaps Mr Betkolia is referring here to the 40 to 50 young people recently warned by Assyrian church leaders, at the behest of the security services and Mr Betkolia’s successor, to have no further involvement in the protests.

Mr Betkolia says he wishes Assyrians were more self-critical, and that he regrets a lack of dialogue among the community and that Assyrian associations in various cities have not issued statements against the protests.

He also criticises the appointment of an Assyrian patriarch from the United States – a place he describes as having “a very different atmosphere from Iran”.

Meanwhile, he complains that he has been denied a visa to the US, where his children live.

Finally, when asked about what he thinks about those who “insist on breaking the rules”, the former representative says he wishes “to live in an environment that’s safe, calm and comfortable”. 

“I don’t like trouble by my side,” Mr Betkolia says. “When a bomb explodes, it harms all religious minorities.”

Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, called Mr Betkolia’s comments “preposterous”, given that the former representative once had the “audacity” at the UN in Geneva to claim that “under the constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, race, ethnicity and religion do not distinguish among people [or bestow] superiority to one group over another”. 

Meanwhile, Mr Borji noted how a year before making these comments the former representative was “instrumental in the closure of the church led by his fellow Assyrian pastor, Victor Bet-Tamraz, solely because he had been conducting church services in the Persian language”. 

Mr Borji added that it was “highly hypocritical” of Mr Betkolia to “continuously criticise Western governments, and the US in particular”, while at the same time seeking a visa to the US, “where his children have chosen to live, away from the oppressive policies of the Iranian regime that he so generously praises – policies that have brought young people of the same age as Betkolia’s children onto the streets of Iran to protest for their basic rights”.

The UN General Assembly has passed a draft resolution highlighting the “deteriorating” human-rights situation in Iran, including “lethal force resulting in death against peaceful protesters”, as well as “ongoing severe limitations and increasing restrictions on the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief”.

The resolution, which was co-sponsored by 41 countries including the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and a host of EU nations, was passed on Wednesday by a margin of 52, with 80 votes in favour, 28 against and 68 abstentions.

In a discussion before the vote, the representatives of several countries, including Canada, Australia, the UK and US, voiced concern at Iran’s response to the ongoing protests, with the UK representative calling the killing of more than 326 protesters and arrest of over 14,000 “truly abhorrent”.

“The death sentence announced last week for a protester signifies a shocking worsening of the situation,” the UK representative said.

The German representative highlighted the upcoming “special session” on Iran, scheduled to take place in Geneva next week, a move welcomed by the UK representative, who said he hoped  it would “mandate a robust investigation into protest-related human rights violations in Iran”. 

“It is time [the Iranian people’s] fundamental freedoms were upheld,” he said, “including the rights to peaceful assembly, freedom of expression and speech both online and offline. 

“Iran’s leaders must choose another path. Now is the time to stop blaming external actors, to hold up the mirror and start listening to the voices of their people.” 

The New Zealand representative said his country had “suspended indefinitely” bilateral dialogue with Iran, as “we’ve determined that bilateral approaches on human rights with Iran are no longer tenable”.

What does the resolution say about religious freedom abuses?

The Australian and New Zealand representatives specifically highlighted the plight of religious minorities in Iran, with the Australian representative calling their discrimination “unjustifiable”, and New Zealand’s representative calling their mistreatment “systemic oppression”.

The resolution expresses “serious concern at the widespread restrictions on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and association and freedom of expression”, and “attacks against places of worship and burial and other human rights violations, including but not limited to the increased harassment, intimidation, persecution, arbitrary arrest and detention of, and incitement to hatred that leads to violence against, persons belonging to recognized and unrecognized religious minorities, including Christians (particularly converts from Islam), Gonabadi Dervishes, Jews, Sufi Muslims, Sunni Muslims, Yarsanis, Zoroastrians, and … Baha’is”.

It calls on the Iranian government to “cease monitoring individuals on account of their religious identity, to release all religious practitioners imprisoned for their membership in or activities on behalf of a minority religious group”, and  “to ensure that everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion or belief, including the freedom to have, to change or to adopt a religion or belief of their choice, in accordance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.

It also calls on the Islamic Republic to “eliminate, in law and in practice, all forms of discrimination on the basis of thought, conscience, religion or belief, including restrictions contained in article 499 bis and article 500 bis of the Islamic Penal Code”.

As Article18 has reported, the amended Articles 499 and 500 were passed into law in early 2021 and have since been used in the prosecution of at least 10 Christian converts, including six now serving prison sentences.

‘Urgent Question’ in UK parliament

On the same day the draft resolution was passed in New York, an “Urgent Question” was brought before the UK parliament in London regarding the current situation in Iran and the treatment of protesters, during which the Iran regime’s persecution of Christians was also highlighted.

“I’d like to ask [about] the Christian community in Iran,” said Conversative MP Tom Hunt. “Just this last Friday I met with someone who fled Iran, is a Christian, and is now a key part of the local church in [the town of] Ipswich. What steps [are] the government taking to support the Christian community in Iran and [the] many people who are fleeing persecution?”

In response, David Rutley, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, said it was “a very good question” on “a subject I feel very strongly about as well”, and promised that he and other colleagues “raise those issues about Christians [with the UK government], but not just Christians – other minorities as well in Iran – which we absolutely need to do.”

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has condemned the sentencing to death of an Iranian protester on “religiously-grounded charges” and warned of the “credible” threat of “large-scale executions in the coming weeks”.

On Sunday, a Tehran Revolutionary Court sentenced the unnamed protester on charges including “enmity against God” and “corruption on Earth”, which USCIRF noted were “both grounded in religious interpretations”.

The independent, bipartisan group said the ongoing protests in Iran, now two months old, were at their root a cry for Iranians to be granted “their intentionally-guaranteed human rights”, including religious freedom.

USCIRF argued the killing of Mahsa Amini two months ago today was directly related to a lack of religious freedom in Iran, as the 22-year-old was killed “for wearing ‘improper hijab’, a legal standard based on an interpretation of religion and imposed on Iranian women without their consent”.

Commissioner Sharon Kleinbaum welcomed the upcoming UN Human Rights Council special session on Iran, set to take place on 24 November, and called on the US government “to continue to advocate for a UN investigative mechanism to hold accountable Iranian government officials complicit in religious freedom and related human rights violations”.

“Iran’s desperate attempt to violently repress Iranians seeking fundamental guarantees of freedom of religion or belief is deplorable,” she added. “The Biden administration must pursue every available measure to support Iranians asserting their internationally-guaranteed human rights and sanction officials responsible for these ongoing and violent crackdowns.”

Another commissioner, Eric Ueland, said Iranians’ “continuing struggle for religious freedom” was “inspiring”, and called on the US to “lead the international community in uplifting and amplifying the voices of Iranians calling for greater freedom of religion or belief”.

Iran’s Assyrian Christian minority have been warned by their parliamentary representative and church leaders to have no further involvement in the ongoing protests. 

Article18 was informed yesterday by sources inside the country that between 40 and 50 Assyrian youths, who had either participated in protests or written messages of support on social media, were called this week by their church leaders and told they would be arrested if they did not stop. 

And after an Iranian Christian former prisoner of conscience, Farshid Fathi, lambasted the Assyrian MP and church leaders in an Instagram post, the MP, Sharli Envieh, responded angrily on his own Instagram account, while in so doing confirming the veracity of the claims.

Mr Envieh began by attacking Farshid, who is a Christian convert, calling him “a Muslim who only pretended to be a Christian”, before admitting that during a meeting with “security authorities”, he and the three heads of the Assyrian Church in Iran – Catholic, Protestant, and Church of the East – had agreed to “give their fatherly warning to people who work outside the framework set by the regime, so that there will not be any problems for the Assyrian community”.

“Where does it say in the Gospels that young people can be encouraged to engage in activities that break the law and cause issues for our community?” he said, adding: “If you’re really worried about the Iranian community, you could come back to Iran and do these things yourself!”

Article18 understands that the Assyrian youths were told by their church leaders: “Those who have been arrested have been sentenced to death. See what they have done to their own children, who are Muslim, and imagine what they will do to you who are non-Muslims! You are Assyrians; what part do you have in these things?”

But Article18’s sources said some of the Assyrians had responded: “Yes we are Assyrian, but we are also Iranian, and we live in this country. It’s our country too!”

Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, called the actions of Mr Envieh and the Assyrian church leaders “an embarrassment and collusion with the oppressors, which brings dishonour to both the name of Christ and also the Christian community”. 

He added: “We’re glad that the younger generation are trying, with their actions and also by their words, to be better representatives of Christ in showing solidarity with those who are oppressed.”

And in a direct response to the Assyrian MP’s claim that Christians should not involve themselves in “actions that break the law”, Mr Borji said: “Throughout history a lot of Christian leaders have been exemplary voices of justice to not only their own community but to the rest of the world, gaining inspiration from biblical principles. People like Martin Luther King, Desmond Tutu, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Haik Hovsepian appealed to the Bible to speak up against injustice and be a prophetic voice in their society.

“The Assyrian representative should read Psalm 82, which says: ‘How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.’”

Mr Borji added: “It is astounding that he does not even recognise as Christian somebody who has spent over five years of his life in prison for the name of Christ. That shows how exclusive he is. I bet he would not even recognise the Armenian representative in the parliament as a Christian either!”

There are approximately 20,000-25,000 Assyrian Christians in Iran, who along with approximately 100,000 Armenians together make up Iran’s “recognised” Christian community. 

Meanwhile, Christian converts like Farshid are believed to number several hundred thousand – possibly even as many as one million – and yet they are unrecognised both by the regime and also by the senior Armenian and Assyrian leaders who take the regime’s side in exchange for relative peace.

“This is the latest example of how the Iranian authorities use their intelligence and security forces to use representatives of the Church and Iranian parliament as their mouthpiece,” Mr Borji said.

“And by collaborating with the oppressive regime, these church leaders are demonstrating a worrying trend that has been seen over the years, but is now demonstrated in the most explicit way. 

“In the more than 50 days that the protests have been taking place, the websites and social media belonging to the Armenian and Assyrian churches that have close relationships with the Iranian government have not said one single thing about the protests, as if they’re not even living in that context. 

“And now, when they finally speak, it is only to act once more as instruments of state suppression.” 

Mr Borji contrasted this approach with the example of two MPs from the Baluch and Kurdish ethnic minorities who have bravely taken a stand in recent days after 227 MPs called for protesters to be executed. 

In Farshid’s message, he speculated that the Assyrian representative was likely one of the 227. 

“Shame on you!” Farshid said, in Assyrian. “Stop selling your people!”

He added: “Repent and turn from your false ways, before the day comes when Jesus Christ tells you that he does not know you and ‘vomits you out of his mouth’, as it says in the Book of Revelation.”