As the world celebrates Nazanin’s release, let’s not forget those still in prison 16 March 2022 Analysis A version of this article, written by Article18’s News Director Steve Dew-Jones, was first published on premierchristianity.com. Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe is finally on her way back to the UK. (Photo: Twitter @TulipSiddiq) After nearly six years’ unjust detention, it finally seems as though this is the end of the ordeal for British-Iranian political prisoner Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe and her family. But while the world rightly celebrates Nazanin’s hard-won freedom, let us not forget those who still remain in detention as a result of equally absurd convictions. Among them are at least a dozen Christian converts serving terms of imprisonment or internal exile only because of their change of religious belief and subsequent membership of underground house-churches. And as the personal tragedies of these and many other prisoners of conscience go on, perhaps the hardest thing to reconcile is to know that while some like Nazanin become household names, for many others their own sufferings remain largely unknown. Take Mehdi Akbari, for example. When Mehdi, who prefers to be called Yasser, lost his only son in December while he languished in prison, how many others mourned with him? At least one of his fellow prisoners did, another lesser-known prisoner of conscience by the name of Anoosheh Ashoori, who is also now flying home alongside Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, though with less fanfare. During his more than four and a half years in prison, this 68-year-old British-Iranian became a personal friend of Yasser’s. But how many have even previously heard the names of either of these men, let alone would be able to recognise their photographs? Why is it that some prisoners of conscience become household names, while others endure similar torment in near-total anonymity. Yasser’s son, Amin Ali, passed away in December. So while of course it is right to celebrate Nazanin’s long-awaited release, and to celebrate it long and hard, let us not forget those whose stories are less well-known. There are many more prisoners of conscience who choose to remain silent, in the hope that this will one day help their case. Let us think, too, of them. Let us stand up for them, and continue to speak out on behalf of those who have chosen the path of silence, however lonely that must be. And, perhaps most importantly, let us not make the mistake of attributing Nazanin’s release to any kindness or “clemency” on the part of the Islamic Republic, whatever their mouthpieces may say, or not say, about it. Let us count the immense cost that prisoners of conscience – whether known or unknown – have paid and continue to pay at the hands of a regime that only ever has its own interests in mind. Whatever the reasons for Nazanin’s long-overdue release, be certain that the Islamic Republic believes it to be of most ultimate benefit to itself. British-Iranian nationals Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe & Anoosheh Ashoori are on a flight to the UK after years in Iranian prisons. Christian charity @articleeighteen says we shouldn’t forget other detainees in the country. UCB News reports. https://t.co/TIaY64485x— UCB (@UCBMedia) March 16, 2022 Finally, let us never neglect to remember the extraordinary suffering that ordinary people like Nazanin, Anoosheh and Yasser have been forced to endure. Let us tell their stories to others. Let us be their voice. Nazanin has already spoken about the immense psychological torture she faced in detention, and the bewilderment of first realising she had been detained, having done nothing wrong. And who can imagine what it must have been like to have been forcibly separated for six long years from her husband and daughter, who hadn’t even grown any teeth before her mother’s incarceration and is now seven years old. So let us rejoice with Nazanin, Anoosheh and their families, and celebrate their joyous reunions, but let us also remember others. Let us continue to count the cost, and to speak up on behalf of those whose voices have been muted, or even silenced.
Preparing for prison: mental, spiritual and organisational resilience 15 March 2022 Analysis This article was written by the former pastor of an official church in Iran, who spent weeks in Tehran’s Evin Prison following his arrest by agents of Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence for his church activities, and endured severe pressure from his interrogators including prolonged solitary confinement. The pastor, who does not wish to be named, now continues his Christian activities abroad, and has been active for many years in both pastoral ministry and the training of other Christian leaders. Christians in Iran are in constant danger of arrest, often followed by interrogation and imprisonment, so being prepared for these eventualities is essential. However, many Iranian Christians not only do not have the necessary training in this regard; they even consider the possibility far-fetched – and this lack of preparedness includes even pastors and others actively involved in the life of the Church. It is important to realise that an awareness of the dangers can significantly reduce the damage resulting from the experiences of arrest, interrogation and imprisonment. Research into this topic has tended to focus more on helping people to recover after spending time in prison, rather than preparing them in advance. In this article, I propose three factors – psychological, spiritual and organisational – that may help to prevent arrest, or at least reduce the severity of the trauma caused if it does occur. Psychological readiness 1. Mental and emotional health Different people respond to imprisonment in different ways, depending on their emotional and psychological health, and their personality types. For example, a person who has suffered from depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the past, when arrested and then subjected to interrogation and imprisonment, can find that these symptoms return. For this reason, people who have a history of such conditions should prepare themselves by seeking to address these problems through medical help and prayer. It is also recommended that people who have a history of such conditions refrain from accepting important church responsibilities, to reduce the likelihood of their arrest and also to decrease the potential fallout should they be arrested. In addition to the above, people who have grown up in families affected by issues such as divorce, addiction, or crime may also be more prone to suffering from insecurities that could resurface during the immense stress of interrogation and imprisonment. These two groups could be considered to be especially vulnerable to the pressures of prison, potentially resulting in psychological collapses and greater susceptibility to divulging sensitive information about themselves and others during interrogation. 2. Lack of maturity In addition to the above factors, individuals may not have sufficient emotional or intellectual maturity, perhaps due to a lack of education, or other environmental factors. This could reveal itself in an inability to control emotions or make the right decisions under pressure, as well as in poor self-esteem or a lack of self-awareness. It is inappropriate for such individuals to take on important roles within a secret house-church, as under interrogation they would likely be unable to cope with the pressure and may reveal sensitive information about themselves or others. Churches must also be aware that such individuals may offer themselves for high-profile roles in order to compensate for their lack of self-esteem; churches should guard against appointing such individuals, as it could have a detrimental impact upon the whole group if the weaker members break during interrogations. Therefore, every member should be aware of his or her strengths and weaknesses, and realise whether or not it is appropriate for them to take on a leadership position, with all the extra responsibilities that entails. Spiritual readiness 1. Spiritual growth The spiritual growth of an individual is an important factor in assessing their vulnerability during the process of arrest, interrogation and imprisonment. For example, new Christians who have quickly taken on important responsibilities are likely to be more vulnerable under interrogation, which may include long periods in solitary confinement in an attempt to force a leak of information. If the person still has trouble with the basic principles of their Christian faith, or a lack of intimacy with God, they may be crushed by these pressures and even suffer a serious crisis of faith. On the other hand, experienced Christians who have grown spiritually and are not prone to depression or anxiety may find the prison experience an opportunity for further growth, during which time their devotion to God is even enhanced. Unfortunately, due to a lack of experienced leaders in many house-churches, members who have not yet achieved the necessary spiritual growth will often end up in leadership roles, endangering themselves and others. 2. Unresolved spiritual issues Individuals with unresolved issues in their spiritual lives may also find that these are exacerbated during arrest and detention and may find it harder to withstand the pressures of interrogation. In many cases, when security agents find that there is a particular ethical problem in a person’s life, they will use it as leverage in applying pressure. In this regard, interrogators have a dual aim: firstly to discover things about the church group, and secondly to see the individual abandon their faith. Therefore, a person being caught in a pattern of sin is not just a personal matter for them to resolve with God; it may also have a bearing on the security of the Church at large, with the potential to cause irreparable damage. Spending time in prison means engaging in serious spiritual warfare. For many, this becomes an opportunity for deep repentance and positive personality development, but a person caught in a pattern of sin is more vulnerable to experiencing a crisis of faith. 3. Theology of persecution It is also important to consider a person’s theology of suffering and persecution within the Christian life. Do church members know that suffering is part and parcel of being a Christian? Have they discussed these issues in their church? Or do they consider arrest and imprisonment an honour for other Christians, but not for themselves? It is imperative that church members, especially leaders, continually learn about concepts such as suffering and persecution, and understand that these are unavoidable parts of being disciples of Christ. They should look at what the Bible says about persecution, at instances of persecution in the history of the global Church, and also familiarise themselves with the story of the Church in Iran and its heroes of faith. This is all part of the process of preparing Christians to face the possibility of arrest and detention. Some of the following books may also be useful for those who wish to find out more in this regard: “In the Shadow of the Cross: A Biblical Theology of Persecution & Discipleship” by Glenn Penner“Faith That Endures: The Essential Guide to the Persecuted Church” by Ronald Boyd-MacMillan“Through Many Tribulations: The Theology of Persecution in Luke-Acts” by Scott Cunningham“The Call to Joy and Pain: Embracing Suffering in Your Ministry” by Ajith Fernando“The Cost of Discipleship” by Dietrich Bonhoeffer“In God’s Underground” by Richard Wurmbrand In sum, even though some may be cowed by this call to suffering, and leave the Church, it is the duty of the Church to give its members correct Biblical teaching, which is that they must be prepared to face suffering at any moment. The experience of the Church in Iran and around the world indicates that Christians who are prepared to face suffering are better able to tackle it when it arises. If prepared, a Christian can see the experience of imprisonment not as a catastrophe, or bad luck, but as an honour given to them as a disciple of Christ, and a testament to the authenticity of their faith and their loyalty to God. Organisational readiness The final essential area to consider is a church’s structure and practices. Many house-church networks have structural problems that make them susceptible to collapse in the case of the slightest incident or first arrest of a member. Many of these churches, and the networks they belong to, do not observe the most basic principles of security and protection, and lack organisational integrity. Although house-churches do not carry out any political or subversive activities, this is how they are viewed by the Iranian regime, so this means that it is essential for them to act with discretion – in order to survive. These churches must therefore consider the following things to properly prepare themselves for arrest: How to react if a church member is arrested: what is the first step to take? And what are the next steps? What to do if the leader is arrested: is there a deputy who can take their place?Do the members of each church know the members and leaders of other churches? If so, is this necessary, or does it jeopardise the safety of those other churches and risk a collapse of the entire network?What kinds of literature do church members possess that could, rightly or wrongly, be considered a criminal offence? Do all church members know where these books and pamphlets are kept and, if so, could this increase their likelihood of confiscation? Do church members keep their activities secret? If not, they may increase the risk of discovery and arrest.If a member is arrested, what plans are in place to support the person’s family, and what arrangements have been made to help and support the individual upon their release? The released person could well be in need of both medical care and financial support, but in many cases released prisoners are actively avoided by other church members for fear that they too will be arrested. Is it possible to assure members and leaders before their arrest that they will receive all necessary help through through safe channels? Conclusion The experiences of Christians who have faced arrest, lengthy interrogation and imprisonment indicate that their vulnerability and the severity of their trauma depends on a number of factors. In this article, I have suggested that it is essential to assess a person’s psychological and spiritual health, as well as the church’s structure and practices, to best prepare for arrest. Individuals and groups that have the required readiness in these areas, and address the issues mentioned in this article, will experience less fallout if they or a church member are arrested, and also be able to recover more quickly once released. Therefore, paying close attention to each of these areas is a necessity, and pastors and members of house-churches must take the aforementioned steps to ensure they are properly prepared.
Iran criticises UN report, calls claims of arrests of Christians ‘false’ 4 March 2022 News Kazem Gharibabadi, secretary of Iran’s “High Council for Human Rights”. Iran has dismissed the latest report by the UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Iran as “biased”, “politically motivated” and based only on “a series of unsubstantiated and untrue allegations” by “fugitive criminals”, “terrorist groups”, and “foreign or Persian-language media abroad”. The rebuttal, which has now been published on the UN’s website at Iran’s insistence, includes specific reference to the claim in the rapporteur’s report that at least 53 Christians were arrested between 1 January and 1 December 2021 “for the practice of their religious beliefs”. In response to this claim, Iran’s “Deputy Secretary General of the High Council for Human Rights for Judicial Affairs” cites Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, under which he notes that “Zoroastrian, Jewish and Christian Iranians are free to perform their religious rites”, before adding: “The free performance of religious duties by Zoroastrians, Jews, and Christians in their places of worship throughout the country confirms the falsity of the allegation made in the report.” No further evidence is given to support the counter-claim. Indeed, there is little in the way of specific evidence throughout the eight-page rebuttal, which comprises 48 numbered paragraphs. Instead, the claim of “unsubstantiated” evidence on the part of the UN rapporteur, Javaid Rehman, is repeated, as is the complaint that Mr Rehman made no reference to the impact of US sanctions on the “human rights” of Iranian citizens. The rebuttal also includes insistence that torture is “prohibited in the Constitution and regulations of the Islamic Republic”; that access to a fair trial is “guaranteed” in law and practice; that “the allegation regarding deprivation of access to health care in prisons is far from the existing facts of providing extensive services to prisoners”; and that “no lawyer will be prosecuted or convicted in connection with their legal duties”. However, in most cases such denials take the shape only of a reference to how the law and/or constitution forbid the kinds of rights violations listed in Mr Rehman’s report, rather than specifically denying that the stated violations took place. “The Islamic Republic of Iran believes, firmly, in the protection and promotion of the human rights of its people,” the writer insists, before demanding the report is “amended accordingly”, including adding the rebuttal of the Islamic Republic as part of a revised version.
‘They tortured me with their threats’ 4 March 2022 Features Ehsan Khoshgoo was a university student when he was arrested at a Tehran house-church gathering in November 2015. When he was released on bail six weeks later, he was told he could no longer study at the university and that if he went back there, he would be arrested and sent back to prison. By the start of the next academic year, Ehsan had fled the country. A year later, he was sentenced in absentia to five years in prison. Why? Because Ehsan had converted to Christianity as a teenager and joined a house-church, where, he explains, “we would meet each week to pray and praise together, and share testimonies with each other”. For this, Ehsan and two of his friends were charged with “acting against national security through participation in house-church meetings, and connection to Christian ministries abroad”. The charge sheet even named two of the foreign organisations Ehsan was supposedly connected to: a missionary organisation and theological college. Ehsan says he was actually “too busy” to enrol at the theological college because of his university studies and work at an estate agency, but that “they wrote similar things on the charge sheet of many Christians, and only some were actually studying at the college”. Why it should be problematic to study Christian theology in the first place is another question, but in Ehsan’s case this aspect of his official charge simply wasn’t true. Ehsan was informed of the charges against him the day after his arrest, when he was taken from his solitary cell to the interrogator’s office at Tehran’s Evin Prison. Ehsan was kept in solitary confinement for the first two weeks after his arrest, and only allowed out of the cell to be taken, blindfolded, for interrogation. In those two weeks, Ehsan estimates that he was interrogated 12 times – each time for “between one and two and a half hours”. “I had two interrogators,” he explains. “One of them, called Haj Agha Hosseini, was in charge, and he was also there at the time of our arrest. He spoke very insultingly and harshly. But alongside him there was another interrogator who spoke more kindly.” Good cop. Bad cop. During the interrogations, Ehsan was given a sheet of paper with a list of questions on it, such as: “What are the names of the people in charge of your meetings? Which organisation are you cooperating with? And who supports you?” “Since I had visited Turkey twice to attend Christian seminars, I was also asked about those trips and why I had attended those seminars and what I had done there,” he adds. Ehsan says that while he wasn’t physically beaten, “they tortured me with their threats”. “For example, they said I would be old when I was finally released from jail, and that my younger brother would have grown up. They also said they would soon arrest my family and put them in jail.” He adds that “being in solitary confinement and not knowing how long I was going to be in prison made me feel very down”. After his two weeks in solitary confinement, Ehsan was held for another 25 days in a series of “suites” – the name given to the slightly bigger cells, with refrigerator and TV, in which up to four prisoners are held. But to ensure he didn’t get too comfortable, Ehsan says he was forced to change cells four times over those 25 days. “They wanted me to suffer,” he says. “As soon as I made friends with someone, I had to change ‘suite’, and friends.” Ehsan was eventually released on bail of 200 million tomans (around $60,000 at the time) two days before Christmas. But by this time, he had already decided to flee the country. The final thing that Ehsan did before leaving Iran was to ensure that his bail – submitted in the form of his father’s property deed – was paid off. Then, on 29 September 2016, Ehsan applied for asylum with the UNHCR in Turkey, where he still remains. Now 30 years old, Ehsan is currently based in Eskişehir, south of Istanbul, as he continues to await resettlement. You can read Ehsan’s full Witness Statement here.
Ehsan Khoshgoo 4 March 2022 Witness Statements For a summary of Ehsan’s story, you can read our feature article here. Background 1. My name is Ehsan Khoshgoo. I was born in 1991 in Kermanshah [western Iran] and grew up in Tehran and Karaj. I studied physical education at Rajai University [in Karaj] and was employed by an estate agency called Mirdamad. I was 19 years old when a friend spoke to me about Christianity and gave me a Bible. In September 2010, after reading the Bible, I converted to Christianity and was baptised on 13 May 2011 in Namak Abrud in northern Iran. 2. One week after my conversion, my friend took me to a house-church meeting in Tehran for the first time. There were a few of us who met there each week to pray and praise together, and share testimonies with each other. Over time, we evangelised to other people, especially among the youth. One year after my conversion, my mother got stage 3 breast cancer, but she was healed through prayers. I spoke to my family about Christianity, and meanwhile my family and some of my relatives also converted. Arrest and detention 3. I was arrested on 10 November 2015 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) during a house-church meeting, and charged with “participation in house-church meetings”, and “connection to Christian ministries and Christian theological colleges abroad”. I spent two weeks in solitary confinement in Evin Prison, Ward 209. Then I spent 25 days in different cells with other prisoners. Later I was transferred to Ward 8, where I spent two days in quarantine [where prisoners are held before being transferred or released] and another five days in detention. I was released on bail on 23 December 2015. Nine months later, on 29 September 2016, I left Iran. 4. On Tuesday 10 November 2015, at 9pm, during a house-church meeting, someone knocked on the door. As soon as the door was opened, 10 agents raided the meeting and said that everybody had to lie down on the floor. They told us that they had an arrest warrant and that they were from the Ministry of Intelligence. Of course, they just said that but they didn’t show us the warrant for our arrest, nor for the later house searches, and we were so flustered that we didn’t ask them. 5. We lay on the floor. They asked our names and we introduced ourselves. One of the agents was talking to my friend, Sajjad, and after reading my name, which was written on a list, I was told to sit next to him. 6. At that meeting, only Sajjad, another friend named Mojtaba and I were detained. The other house-church members were released but had to sign commitments that they would no longer attend house-church meetings. At the same time, several other Christians were arrested at other nearby house-church meetings. House searches 7. They handcuffed all three of us but didn’t search the place where we were. Instead, two agents took me with them to search my home and other agents took my friends with them in different cars to search their homes. They used very offensive language and were very aggressive in their behaviour. 8. But the two agents who came with me were very different from the others and searched my home respectfully. My mother, father, and younger brother, who was then 11 years old, were at home. My brother was asleep at the moment when the agents arrived and they didn’t search the room he was sleeping in. But for about an hour they searched the other rooms. My mother was terribly scared, but the agents weren’t disrespectful in the presence of my parents. 9. They confiscated my documents, books, textbooks, a box of songbooks and everything related to Christianity, and then took me and my other friends back to the place where they had arrested us. Evin Prison 10. We were taken, handcuffed, to Evin Prison, Ward 209. First we had to take our clothes off and were given prison clothes. They took pictures of us and took us to the health section, and asked if we were sick or had a history of any particular illness. Then we were each given blankets and taken to individual cells. 11. The first night, I was in a one-person cell, which was relatively large, but the following day I was taken to a small solitary-confinement cell that was only just big enough to sleep in. I had to sleep on the carpet [as there was no bed in the cell]. 12. The day after our arrest, we were taken to the interrogator’s office at Evin. He showed me the charge sheet: “membership in illegal house-church groups”, and “connection with Christian ministries and theological colleges abroad”. I hadn’t enrolled with the online theological college mentioned on the charge sheet because I was studying at the university and also busy working at the estate agency, but I know they have written similar things on the charge sheet of many Christians, and only some were actually studying with that particular college. 13. I was in solitary confinement for about two weeks. During that time, about 12 times I was taken, blindfolded, to a room for interrogation, and each interrogation took between one and two and a half hours. I had two interrogators. One of them, called Haj-Agha Hosseini, was in charge and was also present at the time of our arrest. He spoke very insultingly and harshly, but alongside him there was an interrogator who spoke more kindly. 14. During the interrogations, I was given a question sheet and had to answer questions such as: “What are the names of the people in charge of your meetings?” “Which organisation are you cooperating with?” “And who supports you?” Since I had visited Turkey twice to attend Christian seminars, I was also asked about those trips and why I had attended those seminars and what I had done there. 15. They didn’t beat me, but they tortured me with their threats. For example, they said I would be old when I finally got out of jail, and that my younger brother would have grown up. They also said they would soon arrest my family and put them in jail. Being in solitary confinement and also not knowing how long I was going to be in prison made me feel very down. 16. Once, while I was taking a shower, I saw Sajjad from the window of the bathroom. He was taken to the prison yard and I was able to talk with him for a short while, though we didn’t speak for long as we didn’t want to get into trouble. Mine and Sajjad’s cells were in the same hallway, and mine was at the end. When Sajjad was taken to the bathroom, I could see him. 17. After those two weeks, they told me to pack and took me to another cell called a “suite”. The “suite” was actually made from two solitary-confinement cells, but the wall between the two cells had been removed and there was a refrigerator and a TV. There were about four people in each suite. But over the next 25 days, four times I was forced to change to another one. They wanted me to suffer. As soon as I made friends with someone, I had to change suite – and friends. Most of the inmates were there because of financial crimes (embezzlement, bribery, etc.), but around 10 per cent were political prisoners. 18. Sometimes the quality of the food was OK, but sometimes it was so bad that it was inedible. But all the interrogators insisted that the quality of the food was very high and that they controlled the cooking and even ate the same food as the prisoners. 19. After those 25 days, Sajjad and I were taken to Ward 8, which was for prisoners who had already been sentenced. We were held in an isolation cell for two days, and then imprisoned for another five days. 20. I didn’t see my family during this whole time. My mother was successful in getting a permission letter from one of the interrogators to come to visit me. But I told her in a telephone conversation that I was now in quarantine, and that I had found out I would soon be released on bail. So I told her not to come, but to keep the prison permission letter. I thought it would be good to keep the letter as evidence, as prisoners of conscience usually don’t receive any official documents. Temporary release 21. I was released on bail on Wednesday 23 December 2015, and I was told not to go to university or the university guard would arrest me and send me to prison again. My bail was 200 million tomans [around $60,000 at the time], so my father needed to hand over his property deed from Tehran to cover it. 22. I had decided to flee from Iran, so I didn’t go back to work at the estate agency but managed to get back my father’s property deed. Nine months later, I left Iran, on 29 September 2016. 23. After I had left Iran, a year and a half after my release from prison my mother was handed a summons for the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The hearing was held on 18 June 2017 at Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, and later a letter from the court was sent to our home address, informing us that the judge [Mashallah Ahmadzadeh] had sentenced me in absentia to five years of unconditional imprisonment.
Anglican bishop of Iran’s official residence turned into a museum 2 March 2022 News The bishop’s house is now a museum, flanked on one side by flags of the Islamic Republic, and with pictures of Iran’s two Supreme Leaders, Ayatollahs Khomeini and Khamenei, outside the front door. (Photo: Twitter @Alireza_E_1999) The official residence and family home of the former Anglican bishop of Iran is now a museum. Bishop Hassan Dehqani-Tafti was forced out of Iran in the year of the Islamic revolution of 1979, his son murdered, and his house and several other church-owned properties confiscated. In the decades before the revolution, the Anglican Church had been responsible for a number of well-respected schools, hospitals and institutions for the blind, many of which were situated within the same complex as the bishop’s house. However, in the years that followed many of these institutions were confiscated and later either left empty for years or repurposed. In the same way, the bishop’s house in Isfahan had been empty for many years following its confiscation until, in late 2020, it became apparent that it had been taken over and was about to be repurposed by a rich foundation owned by Iran’s Supreme Leader. The Mostazafan Foundation purportedly exists to support the poor – “mostazafan” literally translates as “oppressed” – but it is one of the richest organisations in the country, and its dealings are far from transparent. As Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, explains: “This ‘foundation’ was set up at the beginning of the revolution and used to seize properties belonging to political opponents and affiliates of the former regime, as well as religious minorities such as Christians, Jews and Baha’is, who were some of the first victims of the revolutionary fervour that swept across the country.” Mr Borji added: “It is not clear whether the revenue generated from this new museum will be used to make this rich foundation controlled by Iran’s Supreme Leader even richer.” Reacting to the initial news of its repurposing in September 2020, the bishop’s daughter, Guli Francis-Dehqani, who is now herself a bishop in the Church of England, told Article18: “The house, which belonged to the Church, was unlawfully confiscated and the injustice of that still stings. However, after 41 years of being vacant, I hope it will now at least be put to good use and that it will truly be used as a place from which those who are dispossessed and poor may be helped.” She also tweeted: “I hope and pray it will now become a base to help those in need until perhaps one day it will be handed back to the church.” This was my childhood home and where I spent my formative years. So many memories, mainly happy ones. After unlawful confiscation 40 years ago, I hope and pray it will now become a base to help those in need until perhaps one day it will be handed back to the church. https://t.co/hGeBazohQw— Guli Francis-Dehqani (@Guli_FD) September 18, 2020 Then, in July last year, when it became apparent that her former home was to be turned into a museum, Bishop Guli said: “If it is to be a museum, I hope it will in some way reflect its history, which was that it used to belong to the Persian Christian Church.” But there was no mention of the building’s former purpose in the promotional video released by the Mostazafan Foundation ahead of the museum’s inauguration on 3 February, nor in the opening statements by the head of the foundation. افتتاح موزه ملی هنرهای اصفهاننمایش هنر اصفهان از هزارههای پیش از تاریخ تا عصر حاضر#اصفهان pic.twitter.com/YpheW3W7H4— خبرگزاری میراث آریا (@chtniran) February 5, 2022 He merely stated: “The value of this property is very high, and we could have chosen an administrative or residential function for it. But we got the property for free, and the cost of turning it into a museum was small compared to the value of the property. “This is the way we work. Wherever there are any of these kinds of buildings, let us restore and revive them for you!” The “Isfahan National Museum of Arts” is now open to the public.
Supreme Court summarily dismisses Christian convert’s long-awaited retrial bid 1 March 2022 News Only one day after nine Christian converts were acquitted of “acting against national security” by worshipping in house-churches, another Christian convert serving a 10-year sentence on very similar grounds has been denied his own retrial. Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who is 60 years old, has served over four years of his 10-year prison sentence for “acting against national security with the intention to overthrow the regime”, due to alleged links to churches and Christian organisations abroad. Ever since his imprisonment in January 2018, Nasser has been appealing to a higher court for a retrial, writing several open letters to query the charges against him, including asking how membership of a house-church could be viewed as an action against national security. “Is the fellowship of a few Christian brothers and sisters in someone’s home, singing worship songs, reading the Bible and worshiping God acting against national security?” he asked in one letter. “Isn’t it in fact a clear violation of civil and human rights, and an absolute injustice, to receive a 10-year prison sentence just for organising house-churches, which are a sanctuary sanctified as a place to praise and worship God due to closure of churches in Iran?” Finally, after three rejections of his applications for a retrial, as well as denials of either parole or even furlough, Branch 9 of the Supreme Court agreed to consider his case in January 2022. But now, in a short verdict that gives little explanation, dated 19 February 2022 but only communicated to Nasser’s family this morning after repeated requests, his appeal for a retrial has been summarily dismissed. In the ruling, the two presiding judges, Alireza Rahmani and Gholamreza Amini-Mehr, simply state that the request of Nasser’s lawyer, Iman Soleimani, has not met the requirements of Article 474 of the Code of Criminal Procedure regarding grounds for a retrial, and “therefore the request is rejected”. Reacting to the judgment, Nasser’s lawyer said: “Unfortunately, the branches of the Supreme Court issue verdicts in an arbitrary way, without considering the rights of the accused.” Mr Soleimani added that the ruling was a contravention of Nasser’s civil rights and Iranian law, including the Code of Criminal Procedure, which stipulates that there cannot be different punishments for the same – or very similar – charge. So while yesterday nine Christian converts were celebrating their acquittal – albeit one of them from prison and two more while facing new charges – today another convert is bemoaning his own continued incarceration.
Case closed: Converts’ house-church worship was not ‘action against national security’ 28 February 2022 News Clockwise from top-left: Mohammad Vafadar, Kamal Naamanian, Hossein Kadivar, Behnam Akhlaghi, Abdolreza (Matthias) Ali-Haghnejad, Shahrooz Eslamdoust, Khalil Dehghanpour, Babak Hosseinzadeh, and Mehdi Khatibi. Nine converts who spent a combined nearly 20 years in prison for “acting against national security” and “promoting Zionist Christianity” have been acquitted by a Tehran appeal court. The ruling by Branch 34 of the Tehran Court of Appeal, issued and communicated to the nine men today, comes after a Supreme Court judge ordered a review of their convictions in November. The converts were subsequently released, pending the outcome of the review, though one of them is already back in prison serving a separate sentence related to his faith and activities, and two others have been handed new charges. In their ruling, the appeal court judges, Seyed Ali Asghar Kamali and Akbar Johari, found there was “insufficient evidence” the men had acted against national security, referencing their lawyers’ explanation that they had only “worshipped in the house-church in accordance with the teachings of Christianity” and that Christians are taught to live in “obedience, submission and support of the authorities”. The judges also noted the legal principle of “interpreting any doubt in favour of the accused”, as well as quoting an Islamic saying that teaches that “it is better to make mistakes in pardoning and forgiveness than in punishment”. The ruling will be welcomed not only by the nine acquitted, but by all Christian converts across Iran, enabling them and their lawyers to use the same arguments in defence of their right to worship in house-churches. (Over the past decade, Christian converts in Iran have tended to worship together in private homes in what have become known as “house-churches” because they are no longer permitted to attend the churches of Iran’s ethnic Assyrian and Armenian Christians, whose right to worship is recognised in the constitution, but who have been banned in recent years from conducting services in the national language of Persian to further dissuade Muslim-born Iranians from attending.) The appeal court’s verdict backs up the November decision of the Supreme Court judge, who ruled that “merely preaching Christianity” in house-churches or even promoting what was pejoratively referred to as the “Evangelical Zionist sect” did not amount to acting against national security. However, the re-imprisonment in recent months of one of the nine men, as well as the new charges against the two others, shows there is no guarantee of consistency in future cases. Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, commented: “This ruling is unlike any other of its type that I have seen, as the judges have gone to considerable length to explain their verdict, listing nine different reasons based on the constitution, judicial principles, legal provisions and Islamic tradition. “These judges have now found that the initial ruling that caused some of these Christians to spend over two and a half years of their lives in prison was legally unjustifiable. Meanwhile, at least a dozen others, including one of the nine involved in this case, are still in prison or enforced internal exile following their own convictions on similar charges.” Background The nine men – Abdolreza (Matthias) Ali-Haghnejad, Shahrooz Eslamdoust, Behnam Akhlaghi, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Khatibi, Khalil Dehghanpour, Hossein Kadivar, Kamal Naamanian and Mohammad Vafadar – were arrested during raids on their homes and house-churches in January and February 2019, and sentenced in October of that year. Five of the men had been in prison since July 2019, when they were unable to pay the high bail demanded from them after they insisted on being defended by their own lawyer. The other four began serving their sentences in June 2020.
Iran’s Vatican embassy angry at claim Catholic archbishop and nun denied visas 24 February 2022 News Fr Dominique Mathieu (www.ofmconv.net) and Sister Giuseppina Berti (EsfahanEmrooz/Reza Amini/Getty) The Iranian embassy to the Holy See has reacted angrily to an article on a Catholic website highlighting the challenges faced by Christians in Iran. In the article, published by AsiaNews on 16 February, Chaldean bishop Thomas Meram of Orumiyeh explained the “many difficulties” faced by the Catholic community in Iran, while it was also noted how the new Catholic archbishop, Fr Dominique Mathieu, had not been able to enter Iran despite his appointment by the Pope early last year, and how a long-serving Italian nun, 75-year-old Sister Giuseppina Berti, was also denied a renewal of her visa. In a strongly-worded statement, published in full by AsiaNews on 18 February, the Iranian embassy demanded a rebuttal of the “completely false and unfounded” article, claiming the archbishop had entered Iran on 12 November 2021 and “now devotes himself to his activities”, and that Sister Berti’s residence permit “was renewed and she continues to live in the house of her congregation without any difficulty”. The embassy added that the claims made in the AsiaNews article “harm the good bilateral relations between the Holy See and the Islamic Republic of Iran”; that Christians “continue to enjoy the religious freedom to carry out their activities, worship in their churches and devote themselves to their programmes in accordance with the laws of the Islamic Republic of Iran”; and that Christians “also have their own representatives in the Islamic parliament”. AsiaNews, while publishing the rebuttal as requested, commented: “We are happy that Mgr Mathieu and Sister Berti are in Iran and able to carry out their ministry. “We are, however, surprised by the tone of the reaction to an article that – in its essential part and in its title – simply gave an account of the life of the Chaldean Catholic community in Iran, describing its activities and mentioning concerns that its small size makes evident to all. “We dare to think that the fate of the good bilateral relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Holy See has very little to do with an error in a paragraph of an article in AsiaNews.”
Four Christians unwell after suspected Covid-19 outbreak in Evin Prison 23 February 2022 News Left to right: Moslem Rahimi, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Yousef Nadarkhani, and Saheb Fadaie. Four Christian prisoners of conscience in Tehran’s Evin Prison have fallen ill in recent days following a suspected Covid-19 outbreak within their ward. Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who is 60 years old, Yousef Nadarkhani, 44, Saheb Fadaie, 40, and Moslem Rahimi, 32, have not been tested for the virus but have all experienced symptoms, with Nasser’s especially severe though now improving. The four Christians are all in Hall 8 of Ward 8 of Evin Prison, which accommodates around 250 prisoners in total, including around 60 in Hall 8. No Covid safety measures, such as quarantining or tests, are being observed in the prison, though the majority of prisoners have now been vaccinated. There has long been criticism of a lack of medical care and sanitation in Iran’s prisons, including Evin, with prisoners showing Covid symptoms often left alone on their beds for days, before being sent to the prison doctor to receive a solitary painkiller and then sent back to bed. This lack of care was viewed by many as a contributing factor in the recent death of another prisoner of conscience, writer Baktash Abtin, who contracted Covid-19 in Evin but was not taken to a hospital for treatment until it was too late. A new wave of the virus in the country has led the head of the judiciary, Gholam Hossein Mohseni Ejei, to announce a mass furlough of prisoners in recent days, but none of the Christians have been offered this option, despite requesting it. Yousef Nadarkhani, who has been in prison without leave for nearly four years now, was recently rejected his first request for furlough, despite being eligible having served well over the necessary one-third of his six-year sentence for “acting against national security by propagating house-churches and promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity”. Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who is serving a 10-year sentence on similar charges, was also rejected the chance of a furlough late last year, as well as having his request for parole rejected, though the Supreme Court recently finally agreed to review his case. Saheb Fadaie, who is serving the same sentence as his friend Yousef Nadarkhani, was granted 15 days’ leave in September 2021, but then cruelly denied an extension to that leave to be there for his daughter’s 15th birthday, despite being initially led to believe his request would be granted. “They were just playing games with me,” Saheb later reflected. The fourth Christian in Ward 8, Moslem Rahimi, is not yet eligible for a furlough, having only just begun his four-year prison sentence on almost identical charges to Yousef and Saheb’s. Article18 understands that the authorities in Evin have been attempting to keep quiet the Covid outbreak, while the inmates of Ward 8 are said to blame their prison warden for denying them the chance of a furlough, despite Ejei’s directive.