Imprisoned Christian convert with heart condition beaten for requesting treatment 19 March 2025 News There are growing concerns over the health of an imprisoned Christian convert, who has a heart condition and was recently beaten for requesting a referral to a cardiologist. Amir-Ali Minaei, a 31-year-old from Tehran whose case has not been reported until now but whose first name was included in the prisoners list of our latest annual report, has been in Evin Prison since April last year. He is serving a sentence of three years and seven months for “propaganda activities against the regime through establishing a house-church”, handed down in March last year by notorious Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari. Judge Afshari also sentenced Amir-Ali to deprivation of social rights – such as membership of any organisation – following his imprisonment. Amir-Ali was first arrested in December 2023 and detained for over two months in Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. He was then released on bail equivalent to around $10,000, following a series of intensive interrogations. Amir-Ali’s heart condition was diagnosed between his release on bail and his sentencing, and is understood to have been caused directly by the stress he was placed under during his initial detention and the threat of further imprisonment. Nevertheless, every request that he has made to be referred to a cardiologist during his imprisonment has been rejected, and after his most recent request, earlier this month, Amir-Ali was beaten by a prison officer, who struck him directly in the chest, thereby worsening his condition. Article18 has been able to verify the identity of the prison guard, whose name is Mehdi Salimi. Despite the beating, Amir-Ali has still not been referred to a cardiologist, and there are fears his condition may further deteriorate in the next few weeks, as the Persian New Year season begins and regular treatment options become even harder to access. Amir-Ali applied for conditional release in January, but his request was blocked by Ministry of Intelligence agents due to his perceived lack of “cooperation” with them. Article18’s Mansour Borji explained: “Detainees are often compelled to accept extrajudicial conditions as a prerequisite for receiving benefits such as temporary furlough, pardon, or early release. Authorities and interrogators seek to leverage these individuals as informants, or ‘collaborators’, requiring them to resume their daily lives while covertly gathering intelligence on other Christians and their activities. This practice constitutes a form of coercion, further infringing upon the detainees’ rights and subjecting them to ongoing surveillance and undue pressure.” He added: “With the Persian New Year about to start, we are increasingly concerned about the health and wellbeing of Amir-Ali, a young man whose only ‘offence’ was to meet together with his fellow believers. We call for his immediate and unconditional release and for the Iranian authorities to stop targeting house-churches and instead recognise them for what they are: the only places of worship available to Iranian Christians who wish to worship together in their mother tongue, as the churches of Iran’s Armenian and Assyrian minorities are off-limits to Persian-speakers. “We are also outraged by the denial of medical treatment to Amir-Ali and especially by his recent beating, and call on the Iranian authorities to ensure that the officer responsible, Mehdi Salimi, receives the proper punishment for his crimes.”
Fact-finding mission ‘only scratched surface’ of Iran’s religious discrimination 18 March 2025 News The UN’s fact-finding mission (FFM) on Iran says it has only “scratched the surface” in “exposing the structural and institutional discrimination” against religious minorities, and called for the establishment of a follow-up body to investigate these and other rights violations. Speaking as part of an interactive dialogue at the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva today, alongside the UN’s Special Rapporteur (SR) on Human Rights in Iran, the FFM’s Viviana Krsticevic said “more investigations into the unaddressed root causes [of religious discrimination were] required”, and that this was “one of the reasons” the FFM was recommending a renewal of its mandate, “as continued scrutiny is essential”. The head of the FFM, Sara Hossain, added that “the enforcement of discriminatory laws and policies not only enables repression of women and girls” – the focus of the FFM’s mission, in the wake of the death in custody of Mahsa Amini – “but also other groups on grounds of ethnicity, religion and or political belief”. “The suppression of these all equally warrant this Council’s attention,” she said. “For this reason … we recommend that the council consider a follow-up body that could continue to investigate the serious human rights concerns already identified and also accompany accountability efforts.” “In this way,” she said, the Human Rights Council could “play a vital role in supporting Iranians right to truth, justice and reparations, and crucially, to prevent further cycles of violence”. Article18 joined over 40 rights groups earlier today in calling for a renewal both of the SR on Iran’s mandate, and also “a complementary international independent investigative mechanism … to follow up on, and build upon, the work of the FFM”. Ms Krsticevic also called for member states to offer “continued support” to “victims and survivors of persecution” by “supporting them in host countries [through] asylum, humanitarian visas and other support”. Ms Krsticevic’s comments came in response to questions from the representatives of Australia and Germany, who had asked, respectively, what more could be done to “hold Iran to account … for targeting minority groups”, and how the international community could “contribute to the alleviation of the systematic discrimination against … religious minorities”. SR Mai Sato, presenting her first report to the council, highlighted once again how Christian converts are among the groups facing “troubling” religious discrimination in Iran, while concerns regarding freedom of religion or belief or the situation of religious minorities were also raised by the representatives of Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Luxembourg, Moldova, the Netherlands, New Zealand, North Macedonia, Spain, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Argentina’s representative called on Iran to guarantee freedom of worship and expression “in the fullest sense” and “for legal provisions that affect these rights negatively to be repealed”, while Italy called on Iran “to take the necessary measures to guarantee religious freedom and to ensure that all individuals are treated equally and [are able to practise] their faith in peace and security”. Human rights groups including Justice for Iran, Bahai International Community and Minority Rights Group (MRG) also highlighted the persecution of religious minorities, with the MRG spokesperson noting how the FFM had “rightly outlin[ed that] the persecution of ethnic and religious minorities predates and extends beyond the Women, Life, Freedom movement”. Votes on the potential extensions to the SR and FFM’s mandates will be conducted before the conclusion of the current Human Rights Council session on 4 April.
Article18 calls for renewal of UN special rapporteur on Iran’s mandate 18 March 2025 News Article18 has joined over 40 other rights groups and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi in calling for the renewal of the mandate of the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran. In a joint letter sent to UN Human Rights Council members this morning, ahead of an interactive dialogue on the situation of human rights in Iran, we urged their support for the renewal of Mai Sato’s mandate as well as “a complementary international independent investigative mechanism … to follow up on, and build upon, the work of the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Iran”. Both are essential, we said, in “combating systematic impunity for recent and ongoing violations”, including the “systematic discrimination and violence” against religious or belief minorities. “Recurring abuses can be prevented and meaningful steps toward justice can be taken only by fully taking stock of this repetitive cycle of violence and impunity and identifying and holding to account those suspected of criminal responsibility,” we said. “Victims and survivors of past and ongoing violations and crimes under international law in Iran need a holistic approach, including reporting, intervening urgently, investigating, carrying out legal analysis and identifying those responsible to ensure real prospects for human rights, justice, truth and reparation in Iran. “We appeal to your government to respond to this need. We also appeal to your government to publicly condemn and demand an immediate end to the grave and persistent rights violations committed by the Islamic Republic of Iran and support the continuation of efforts aimed at ensuring that justice ultimately prevails for the people in Iran.” You can read the full letter and list of signatories here.
Former missionary hospital on verge of ruin 17 March 2025 News Photographs have emerged in recent days showing the deterioration of a once renowned hospital in Iran that was founded and named after Christian missionaries. The “Missionary Hospital” in Kerman, southeastern Iran, which was built in the early 1900s, has not been used since shortly after the Second World War, but was recognised as a national monument at the turn of the millennium. However, the recent photographs make clear that the hospital, which was one of the first modern medical centres in southeastern Iran, is quickly deteriorating, with reports suggesting it has also become a dwelling place for rough sleepers and addicts. According to one report, the hospital, which provided services such as surgery, childbirth, and cures for infectious diseases, offered free treatment for patients on Fridays – a day off in Iran – and was the very first institution in Kerman to offer pharmaceutical medicines. The hospital consisted of separate sections for men and women, a church, places for doctors and nurses to stay, and a treatment centre for outpatients. Another article suggested that part of the hospital had been deliberately destroyed, while a local official called for its restoration. The hospital was founded by and still bears the initials of the Church Missionary Society (CMS), which first sent missionaries to Iran in the late 1800s. By the end of the 19th century, missionaries had settled in the cities of Isfahan, Shiraz, Yazd and Kerman, establishing new hospitals, schools and institutions for the blind and the disabled. However, following the revolution of 1979, many of these institutions were confiscated or forced to close. Other Christian buildings have been demolished in recent years, such as the Adventist Church in Tehran – a once famous landmark with a giant cross – and the nationally registered Christian hospital in Kermanshah, which was destroyed without permission by its owner last year in the midst of a long-running legal dispute.
Place to worship ‘integral’ to religious freedom 14 March 2025 Analysis Having a place of worship has been described as an “integral” part of religious freedom at the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The comment was made by the World Evangelical Alliance’s (WEA) Janet Epp Buckingham in her introductory address to the 5 March side event, ‘Registration and Legal Status of Places of Worship: Negative Impacts on Religious Minorities’. The event, co-organised by the Anglican Communion, World Council of Churches, Open Doors International and Stefanus Alliance, also featured contributions from the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion of Belief [FoRB], Nazila Ghanea, and Susan Kerr from the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights at the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Dr Buckingham noted that religious freedom, as defined by Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, includes “the right to worship … as well as manifesting religion in public”, which “guarantees that believers have a fundamental human right to manifest their religion by communal worship”. “It is core for that expression that believers have spaces to worship,” she added. Without a recognised place of worship, Dr Buckingham noted that if communities “meet for worship anyway, it may be considered an illegal gathering” and “the leader may be charged or fined”. In Iran, as Article18 has reported on numerous occasions, both the leaders and members of house-churches – which proliferated because Christian converts are prohibited from attending the churches of the recognised Armenian and Assyrian Christian minorities – have faced charges of participating in “illegal gatherings”. It was in light of this that Article18 launched the Place2Worship campaign, demanding that all Christians in Iran, including converts, be granted places where they can gather together to worship, free from fear of arrest. Dr Ghanea noted that “national security” is “given as the grounds for many restrictions on individuals and communities because of their religion or belief” – as has been seen in many of the charges against Christians in Iran – but such a limitation, according to Dr Ghanea, is “not established in law”. “The limitation grounds that are permitted under international human rights law that should very sparingly be applied do not contain … ‘national security’,” she said. Religion and belief minorities “should not be securitised”, as “freedom of religion or belief is not a matter that needs surveillance [or] harassment,” Dr Ghanea added. In some countries, the possibility of particular religious communities gathering has been “framed as a charitable concession” and “not a right”, the rapporteur said. But “freedom of religion or belief does not rest on recognition. It should be guaranteed; it’s the birthright of all of us.” Having a place of worship “gives independence, reduces surveillance and harassment and acknowledges a level of societal acceptance”, Dr Ghanea added. Dr Kerr agreed that “the legitimate aims used to limit freedom of religion or belief – for example, of ensuring public safety or order – should not serve as a cover for policies that disproportionately burden or discriminate against religious minorities.” “Any limitations must be tailored narrowly and minority communities should not be singled out,” she said, adding that FoRB is “a fundamental human right” which “belongs to everyone”; “it doesn’t matter whether somebody holds unpopular or popular beliefs, majority or minority beliefs, traditional or non-traditional beliefs”. “State permission is not needed and should not be a condition for the exercise of freedom of religion or belief,” Dr Kerr said. “This right cannot be made subject to registration or other similar procedures, as it belongs to human beings and communities as right holders. It doesn’t depend on official authorisation. This also means that any prohibition and/or sanctioning of unregistered activities that are essentially a free exercise of this right are incompatible with international standards.” Dr Kerr noted that being able to gather together is “at the very core of a number of religious traditions”, and worship spaces are “often at the core of religious community life”. “The building and maintenance of appropriate places of worship,” she said, is therefore “of key importance to those who form part of religious communities”. Dr Kerr said that a lack of legal recognition – such as is the case for Iran’s Christian converts – “can leave minority communities in a vulnerable position where they have no legal recourse in the face of threats to their existence or assets. They may not be able to negotiate leases, open a bank account, or receive donations, which are all critical to their survival and ability to function as a community.” Article18’s latest annual report noted how the finances of Christians in Iran have been targeted, with several arrests made last year as a result of suspicions that Christians had received funds from abroad. “Making financial donations, charitable offerings, or paying tithes to support church activities are standard practices for Christians worldwide, but such activities have been criminalised by Iran’s Revolutionary Courts,” the report noted. Dr Kerr added that legal recognition of religious groups is an issue that “goes beyond spaces [of worship]”, as it also “enables religious communities to manage their own affairs – from property to leadership, religious services and community activities … ensur[ing] that they can function independently without being vulnerable to arbitrary restrictions or shutdowns by a state. “The importance of legal [recognition] for religious and belief communities, and particularly for minority communities, cannot be overstated,” she concluded. “[It] is not just a technical requirement. It is part of freedom of religion or belief that is needed to ensure that we live together and thrive together in peaceful and diverse societies.” You can watch a recording of the event here.
Iran’s religious minorities face ‘systemic discrimination, arbitrary detention, unfair trials’ – UN Rapporteur 14 March 2025 News The UN Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights Situation in the Islamic Republic of Iran says religious and ethnic minorities in the country “face systemic discrimination, including arbitrary detention [and] unfair trials”. In her first report to the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mai Sato named Christian converts among the religious minority groups who “experience restrictions on their cultural practices, language rights and religious freedom, along with limited access to education, employment and economic opportunities”. Dr Sato promised in November to “examine” the impact of Iran’s restrictions on religious freedom, and in January told an event co-hosted by Article18 that the situation of Christians in the Islamic Republic of Iran was “a matter of serious concern that demands our continued attention”. The violations reported by her predecessors against Christians, she noted at the event, included “multiple breaches” of Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), including “the rights to liberty and security, to freedom of thought, conscience, religion or belief [FoRB], freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, physical and psychological integrity, privacy, non-discrimination and the rights of persons belonging to minorities”. Dr Sato’s new report contains a particular focus on the impact of women, including those of minority groups, whom she said “face particularly acute challenges, experiencing multiple forms of discrimination based on their ethnic origin, religion, age and gender, which are further compounded by discriminatory provisions in domestic legislation”. “Those intersecting forms of discrimination create systemic barriers to their fundamental rights and heighten their risks of violence, particularly by law enforcement officials,” she said. The rapporteur said the conditions in women’s prisons, including denial of medical care, “represent systematic violations of those fundamental human rights principles”. Article18 has reported how Christian convert Mina Khajavi, a 61-year-old who is serving a six-year sentence related to her leadership of a house-church, has been denied medical care in prison, despite suffering from arthritis and being in pain. Dr Sato called on the Islamic Republic of Iran to ensure prisoners are provided with “access to timely and appropriate healthcare”, as well ensuring that conditions of detention are compatible with international standards. “Prisoners have the right under international law to healthcare and urgent medical care equivalent to community standards,” she said, “yet the Special Rapporteur has received multiple reports of detainees who were denied essential medical treatment in prisons across the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Dr Sato said prisoners and detainees must be “protected from all forms of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” and “confessions obtained through torture or ill-treatment [must] never [be] admitted as evidence in court”, while she decried the use of “vague charges such as ‘threat to national security’ and ‘propaganda against the State’ to justify … persecution”. The rapporteur further demanded that all individuals are “treated equally before the law, without distinction of any kind, including … religion … or [any] other opinion”, adding that “all accused have the right to a fair trial and due process … including access to a lawyer of their choosing during all stages of the judicial process”. Iran must “ensure equal treatment in the criminal justice system and equal opportunities in education and employment for all ethnic and recognised and non-recognised religious groups,” she said. Article18 has reported how Christians have been denied employment or education as a result of their religious beliefs or activities. “Access to higher education and employment remains severely restricted for members of certain religions,” Dr Sato said, referencing the challenges posed by the “mandatory religious declarations on enrolment forms and restrictions on university entrance exams”. The rapporteur also noted the “pervasive lack of transparency of government institutions and the challenges of obtaining reliable information in an environment of strict media censorship, where individuals face reprisals for reporting human rights violations”. Article18’s 2024 annual report was titled “Faceless Victims” to draw attention to the number of victims who chose to remain silent for fear of worsening their plight. Among other issues, Dr Sato also expressed “serious concern over the widespread restrictions on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association”, and “significant increase in known executions”. You can read the full report here.
Christian convert released on $40,000 bail charged with ‘gathering and collusion’ 11 March 2025 News A Christian convert arrested during a raid by Revolutionary Guards on a gathering of Christians in northern Iran last month has reportedly been released on bail of over $40,000, after being charged with “gathering and collusion” and “propaganda against the regime”. According to Iranian Christian website Mohabat News, Somayeh Rajabi was released from Mati Kola Prison in Babol on International Women’s Day, 8 March, the same day that three other Christians in Tehran, including a pregnant woman, Narges Nasri, were sentenced to over 40 years in prison. Somayeh was arrested on the evening of 6 February, when at least 20 plainclothes IRGC agents raided a large gathering of Christians in Gatab, Mazandaran Province, at which Christians from the nearby cities of Gorgan and Babol had joined together. Bibles, musical instruments and communication devices were confiscated, while the agents also demanded access to personal details and mobile-phone passwords. According to Mohabat News, the agents also conducted body searches, with those wearing cross necklaces singled out and officers forcibly tearing them off, injuring several individuals. Meanwhile, emergency medical personnel who attempted to assist the injured were reportedly blocked by the agents. A day after her arrest, Somayeh was permitted a brief phone call to her family, informing them that she had been transferred to a prison in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran Province. Mohabat News reports that she was transferred to the prison in Babol after her interrogations were completed. Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, commented: “Setting exorbitantly high bail amounts for Christians detained solely for exercising their lawful right to religious freedom is a cruel and oppressive tactic, especially amid Iran’s ongoing economic crisis. While millions of Iranians struggle with severe austerity, the government exploits their financial hardship to further punish and silence religious minorities. “This practice not only deprives detainees of their liberty but also inflicts immense economic and emotional strain on their families, effectively weaponising poverty against them. Such targeted persecution underscores the regime’s use of financial barriers to suppress religious diversity and intimidate those who dare to worship freely.”
Three Christians including pregnant woman sentenced to over 40 years in prison 10 March 2025 News Left to right: Abbas Soori, Narges Nasri, and Mehran Shamloui. Three Christian converts including a woman pregnant with her first child have been sentenced to over 40 years in prison on charges related to their religious beliefs and worship meetings. Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri, who is approximately halfway through her pregnancy, were sentenced by notorious Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari on 8 March – International Women’s Day. Narges, who is 37 years old, received the stiffest sentence – 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law”, five for membership of an “opposition group” (house-church) and an additional one year for “propaganda against the state” – for having posted on social media in support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement. Abbas, 48, received a total of 15 years in prison – 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for membership of an “opposition group” – while Mehran, 37, received an eight-year sentence for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second. All three were also sentenced to years of deprivation of social rights, such as to health, employment or education – 15 years each for Narges and Abbas, and 11 years for Mehran – while Narges and Abbas were fined 330 million tomans ($3,500) each, and Mehran 250 million ($2,750). Narges and Abbas were also banned from membership of any group, residing in their home province of Tehran or leaving Iran for two years after their release. The three Christians were arrested on 3 November 2024 during concurrent raids by intelligence agents on their homes in Tehran, during which personal belongings including Bibles, crosses and musical instruments were confiscated. (Mehran is a musician, and the equipment the agents confiscated from him was worth around $5,500.) The Christians were then transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. They were released on bail equivalent to more than $20,000 each a month later, following a series of lengthy and intensive interrogations. Their court hearing took place on 15 February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, where they were officially charged with “membership of opposition groups”, “propaganda against the system” and “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law through foreign relations,” under Articles 499, 500 and 500 bis, respectively. At least 10 other Christians were arrested on the same November day during coordinated raids on Christian homes across the country, including in the cities of Karaj (near Tehran), Mashhad in the north-east, and Shiraz and Bandar Abbas in the south. Abbas was previously arrested in 2020 and later sentenced alongside another Christian convert, Maryam Mohammadi, and their pastor, an Iranian-Armenian, Anooshavan Avedian. Abbas and Maryam received non-custodial punishments including travel bans, exile from the province of Tehran and prohibition of membership in any political or social groups, while Anooshavan, who is in his 60s, was given a 10-year prison term. He was acquitted in September last year, having served just over one year of his sentence.
The Seed of The Sacred Fig gives terrifying glimpse of what persecuted Christians face 6 March 2025 Analysis This article, written by Article18’s news director, Steve Dew-Jones, was first published by Premier Christianity magazine and is republished in part here with kind permission. You can read the full article on Premier’s website. If you’re looking for a light-hearted watch with a Hollywood happy ending, The Seed of the Sacred Fig is probably not for you. But given that it was shot in secret and the film-maker, Mohammad Rasoulof, was handed a prison sentence and forced to flee Iran for making it, perhaps this should come as no surprise. Indeed, as anyone who’s ever watched an Iranian film will testify, they tend to be – at the very least – intense and emotionally draining, and Rasoulof’s latest film, which has won several international awards and was nominated for an Oscar at the weekend, is certainly no exception. The drama is set in 2022, as protests sweep the streets of Iran following the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who died in police custody after her arrest for “bad hijab”. The protagonist is a newly appointed investigator, or magistrate, who quickly finds himself charged by the Tehran prosecutor with having to ratify death sentences – and lots of them – without sufficient time to properly assess the evidence. The new appointee, a devout Muslim whose name, Iman, means “faith”, is clearly conflicted about his new role, and this is perhaps the stand-out element of the nearly three-hours-long film. As the drama unfolds, the audience is left to ponder whether – and to what degree – they should feel sympathy with Iman. Is he simply acting under orders from above, or should he be held responsible for consigning countless young Iranians to death simply for protesting? For although the film centres on the life and job of an aspiring judge, as ever when the Islamic Revolutionary Courts are involved, there is little in the way of justice on show. At the outset, the audience is presented with two explainers: firstly that the film had to be made in secret, with great risk to the cast and crew. And secondly, regarding the nature of the eponymous seed: that the sacred ‘strangler’ fig takes root within another tree and then, as its name suggests, gradually squeezes the life out of its host until it dies. For the rest of the film, the audience is left to contemplate whether the suffocating seed in question is the Islamic Republic, from whose shackles a younger generation of Iranians – including Iman’s daughters – is still struggling to free itself, or whether the protesters themselves might even represent the seed, in the hope and promise that one day they will finally break free. Amid the protests of 2022, the fall of the Islamic Republic seemed inevitable. Even now, there are many who believe it to be so. And yet, as Rasoulof’s film so clearly shows, the regime will stop at nothing to cling onto its power and, for the time being at least, that has proved enough. Scenes from the protests – captured on smartphones and shared on social media – punctuate the film, providing the context in which the protagonist and his family wrestle with their own turmoil. As someone who has heard about many interrogations through my work at Article18, it was still eye-opening to see them played out on screen: the terror evoked by blindfolding victims and silently leaving them to sit and suffer for hours; the cramped conditions of solitary confinement; being kept in the freezing cold without adequate clothing or access to a toilet. These types of psychological – and in some instances physical – torture mirror the testimonies of the dozens of Christians interviewed by Article18 in recent years; gentle, honourable folk who, like the 2022 protesters, did nothing to deserve such mistreatment. You can read the full article on Premier’s website.
Iranian-Armenian pastor remains detained without charge or lawyer month after re-arrest 5 March 2025 News Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian remains in detention in Tehran’s Evin Prison nearly a month after his re-arrest and continues to be denied access to a lawyer or to be informed of any official charges against him, Article18 understands. “When the initial investigation is completed, detainees are often released on bail,” explained Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, “but Joseph continues to be detained almost one month after his re-arrest, not informed of any official charge, and denied access to a lawyer – in violation of Article 35 of the constitution. “The Iranian New Year is approaching, as well as Joseph’s [61st] birthday, and if he is not released in the next few days, the likelihood is that he will be forced to spend both of those celebrations and the entire [two-week] holiday season in pretrial detention.” Article18 also understands that several of the dozens of Christians first arrested alongside Joseph in the summer of 2020 have been summoned again for questioning or visited by officers of the Ministry of Intelligence, in an attempt to find evidence of the pastor’s continued involvement in house-churches – the reason for his initial arrest and subsequent 10-year prison sentence. This is despite the fact that Joseph was eventually “pardoned” for his alleged crime, after an appeal court had reduced his sentence as 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”. House-churches, which have proliferated across Iran following the forced closure of churches that once offered services in the national language of Persian, are routinely targeted by the Iranian authorities, which have described them as “enemy groups”, even though they are simply places where Christians gather to pray and worship. As Christian convert Amin Afshar-Naderi testified at the UN in January, he only began attending a house-church, for which he was later sentenced to 15 years in prison, because “the doors of our church in Tehran’s Shahrara neighbourhood had … been closed”. “When that church was banned from accepting Persian-speaking Christians … the Assyrian pastor of our church was dismissed. Therefore we were left without options for communal worship, [other than] to gather in our homes,” he said. Joseph, who was released from prison in September 2023, was re-arrested on 6 February, on the same day as fellow Christian and former prisoner of conscience Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who also remains detained and has refused to eat in protest against his re-arrest.