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The court hearing on the case of Shamiram Issavi, the wife of the pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz, was held on 6 January at a Revolutionary Court in Tehran under the chairmanship of Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh.

The Iranian-Assyrian Christian was sentenced to five years in prison for “acting against national security by establishing and managing ‘house churches’, participating in Christian seminars abroad, and training Christian leaders in Iran for the purposes of espionage”. She has lodged an appeal against the verdict.

Shamiram was summoned to the Revolutionary Court in June last year and released on bail equivalent to 33,000 dollars.

Her husband was last year sentenced to 10 years in prison on similar charges. Their son, Ramiel, has also faced charges and is currently on bail. 

Victor, along with three Christian converts, Hadi Asgari, Kavian Fallah-Mohammadi and Amin Afshar-Naderi, were each sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment in July 2017 at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Ahmadzadeh. Amin was sentenced to an additional five years in prison for “insulting the sacred” (blasphemy). They were convicted of acting against national security by establishing and managing “house churches”. All four have also been banned from traveling for two years.

The pastor and his wife and son, along with a group of Christian converts, were first detained by plain-clothed officers on 26 December 2014, as they celebrated Christmas at home. After submitting written answers to a list of questions prepared in advance by the interrogators, and signing a commitment not to make contact with other Christians or attend any Christians gathering, the intelligence officers released all members of the group except for the pastor and two others – Amin and Kavian – who were taken to prison. Victor was released on bail after 65 days of arrest, mostly in solitary confinement.

Two years later, on 26 August 2016, law enforcement officers arrested Amin for a second time, as he picnicked with friends at a private property in the Firoozkooh district of northern Tehran. Also arrested that day and taken to Tehran’s Evin Prison were Hadi, Ramiel and two other converts, Amir-Saman Dashti and Mohammad Dehnavi.

Victor and Shamiram were the official leaders of Assyrian Pentecostal Church of Shahrara in Tehran before it was forcibly closed in March 2009. 

With the pressure of officials from the Ministry of Intelligence and the intervention of Yonathan Betkolia, the Assyrian representative of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the pastor was removed from the leadership of the church and the church was forced to halt all meetings in Farsi and ban all non-Assyrian members.

The increasing pressures on Christians and other religious minorities in Iran is in contravention of Article 25 of Iran’s Charter on Citizens’ Rights, which was unveiled under President Rouhani’s administration and states: “Citizens have freedom of thought. Inquisition is prohibited, and no one can be persecuted merely for his or her beliefs.”

Christian convert Mohammad Ali Torabi has been released from Ahvaz Prison on bail of 200 million tomans (around $60,000).

Mohammad, 39, who is known as Davoud among his Christian friends and is part of the Message of Freedom Church, was arrested in Dezful on 10 October at his workplace in the Qal’a Sayyed district and transferred to Ahvaz Prison.

A fellow church worker at the same Dezful church, Abdul Ali Pourmand, 38, also known as Elias, was arrested and transferred to Ahvaz Prison 11 days later, on 21 October.

A month after his arrest, Abdul Ali, who is also a convert to Christianity, told his family from the prison telephone that he had been ordered to take part in Islamic prayers but had refused.

It was also reported that interrogators from the Ministry of Intelligence had forced both men to sign two blank pieces of paper, raising concerns that they could be used as evidence the men had confessed their crimes or renounced their faith.

Iran’s treatment of Christians is in contravention of Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as Article 25 of Iran’s Charter on Citizens’ Rights, which was unveiled under President Rouhani’s administration and states: “Citizens have freedom of thought. Inquisition is prohibited, and no one can be persecuted merely for his or her beliefs.”

An Iranian court has upheld the ten-year prison sentences given to one Iranian and three Azerbaijani Christians in July. 

Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, an Iranian convert to Christianity, was arrested alongside the Azerbaijanis – Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov – at a gathering of Christians in June 2016.

They were found guilty of “actions against [Iran’s] national security”, “missionary activities”, “organic relations with Sweden’s ‘Word of Life’ Church”, “soft subversive activities against the Islamic Republic regime” and “Zionist Christianity”.

The three Azerbaijanis were allowed to leave Iran in November 2016 and are unlikely to have to serve their sentences as they will not be forced to return.

But Nasser, a convert from a Muslim background, remains in Iran and will now have to serve his sentence after his appeal failed.

The Azerbaijanis, who are from Baku, were detained on 24 June 2016, along with several other Iranian citizens, while visiting Iran as guests of Iranian Christian groups. Most of the detainees were released after being interrogated.

Article 18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji, dismissed the charges as “illusory” and “a reflection of the Islamic republic’s security-oriented approach towards religious minorities”.

He added: “We are deeply concerned by the continuing use of baseless charges that seem to act as smokescreen for religiously motivated charges and are utilised to suppress the right to freedom of religion or belief in Iran. So many Christians in Iran are accused of these baseless charges merely for attending prayer meetings in the privacy of their homes.”

A second Christian convert has been arrested by intelligence agents in the western city of Dezful, as the crackdown on Christians there gathers pace.

Abdul Ali Pourmand, who is known as Elias, was summoned to the office of the Ministry of Intelligence on 17 October following a raid on his home.

The 38-year-old was at work on his farm when intelligence agents searched his home, confiscating Christian items including Bibles, pamphlets and CDs.

He was then called and told to report to the Ministry of Intelligence offices later that day, upon which he was transferred to Ahvaz Prison.

Elias, who is recently married, was finally able to call home earlier today to let his wife know where he is.

Elias’ arrest came just a week after that of his friend and fellow convert Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi, who was also taken to Ahvaz Prison after his arrest on 10 October. At the time of writing, no information is available on his condition.

Three other local Christian converts have reportedly been summoned for interrogation in recent days, with some of them being beaten and threatened to “repent and return to Islam”.

Local sources report that the Christians have been told that if they do not renounce their faith, they will have to “face the consequences”, such as intense pressure from intelligence agents, being forced to leave the country, or even being killed.

The persecution and arrest of Iranian Christians has intensified in recent years since Ayatollah Khamenei, in a speech in 2010, described the growth of house-churches as one of the “critical” threats to the security of the Islamic Republic.

And yet, Article 23 of the constitution states that “the investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no-one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief”.

Mohammad Ali Torabi, an Iranian convert to Christianity, has been arrested in the city of Dezful, in the southwest of the country.

Security agents detained Mohammad at his office in the Qal’a Sayyed district of Dezful on Tuesday, 10 October and took him to an unknown location. His family has no information on his whereabouts, so far.

Mohammad, who is known as Davoud by his Christian friends and leads the Message of Peace Church in Dezful, was arrested with two other Christian converts, but they were freed after being interrogated.

Several Iranian converts to Christianity have been arrested in recent months in Iran.

In many cases, the detainees were accused of “action against national security” through “organising or membership of home-churches”.

Article 18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji, has dismissed such accusations as “illusory” and “the reflection of the Islamic republic’s security-oriented approach towards religious minorities”.

He added: “We are deeply concerned by the continuing use of baseless charges, which seem to act as a smokescreen for religiously motivated charges and are employed to further suppress the right to freedom of religion or belief in Iran.”

According to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Iran ratified in 1975, “everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.

Last year, in a joint statement, 19 human rights organisations called on the international community to press Iran to end the persecution of newly converted Iranian Christians.

Christian convert Amin Afshar-Naderi was today released on bail from Tehran’s Evin Prison until the conclusion of his appeal.

Amin, who was recently sentenced to 15 years in prison, had been in detention since his arrest 11 months ago.

He was finally released after undergoing a three-week hunger strike to complain against the harsh ruling and high bail demands.

At the onset of his hunger strike 21 days ago, Amin said he would not eat again until he had received a fair trial and his bail had been reduced.

Earlier this month, Amin was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “action against national security by organising and conducting house-churches”, and an additional five years in prison for “insulting the sacred” (blasphemy). He was also given a two-year travel ban.

Amin was first arrested at a Christmas celebration in 2014, alongside his pastor, Victor Bet-Tamraz, and another Christian convert, Kavian Fallah-Mohammadi.

Amin was re-arrested in August 2016 during a raid on a private garden in Firoozkooh, east of Tehran, after which he and four other Christians were taken to Evin Prison’s Ward 209.

Three of the Christians were released on bail in October and November, but Amin and another convert, Hadi Asgari, remained in detention, spending three months in solitary confinement in Ward 209, before being transferred to Ward 4.

A court hearing took place on 8 April, combining Amin and Hadi’s cases with those of Kavian Fallah-Mohammadi and pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz.

Hadi, Kavian and Victor were sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Amin to 15 – sentences communicated to them verbally earlier this month.

Hadi remains in prison, while the others have been freed on bail until the conclusion of their appeals.

Four converts have been sentenced to 10 years each in prison for “acting against national security by propagating house-churches and promoting ‘Zionist’ Christianity”.

The ruling against Yousef Nadarkhani, Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi, Zaman (Saheb) Fadaie, and Mohammad Ali (Yasser) Mossayebzadeh comes just days after three other converts and an Iranian-Assyrian pastor were sentenced to between 10 and 15 years in prison on similar charges.

Both sentences were pronounced by the same judge, Mashallah Ahmadzadeh, at branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

Separately, another Iranian convert and three Azerbaijani Christians also recently received 10-year sentences.

Yousef and Youhan have also been sentenced to two years’ exile – Yousef in Nik-Shahr and Youhan in Borazjan. 

Both of these locations are in the south of the country, far away from their families in Rasht. 

The verdict was dated 24 June, but was received by the lawyer for the four men on 6 July. 

They have lodged an appeal.

Background

The four men were arrested on 13 May 2016, alongside Yousef’s wife Fatemeh (Tina).

Yousef and Tina were released the same day, but the other three men were detained for two weeks, then released on bail of 100 million tomans (around $33,000).

Their first hearing took place on 8 May 2017, and the second on 14 June – both at the 26th branch of the Revolutionary Court, under Judge Ahmadzadeh.

Yousef has already spent years in prison and once faced the death sentence for “apostasy”, before an international outcry saw his sentence overturned.

An Iranian court has sentenced four Christians to ten years’ imprisonment.

Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, an Iranian citizen and Christian convert, has been found guilty along with three Azerbaijani Christians who were arrested with him in Iran in June 2016.

The four individuals were accused of “actions against [Iran’s] national security”, “missionary activities”, “organic relations with Sweden’s ‘Word of Life’ Church”, “soft subversive activities against the Islamic Republic regime” and what the prosecutor called “Zionist Christianity”.

The Azerbaijanis – Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov – are unlikely to have to serve their sentences because they were allowed to leave Iran in November last year and will not be forced to return.

However, the Iranian – Nasser, a convert from a Muslim background – remains in Iran and will have to serve his sentence unless successful with his appeal.

The Azerbaijanis, who are from Baku, were detained on 24 June 2016, along with several Iranian citizens, while visiting Iran as guests of Iranian Christian groups. Most of the detainees were released after being interrogated.

Article 18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji, dismissed the charges as “illusory” and “a reflection of the Islamic republic’s security-oriented approach towards religious minorities”.

He added: “We are deeply concerned by the continuing use of baseless charges that seem to act as smokescreen for religiously motivated charges and are utilised to suppress the right to freedom of religion or belief in Iran. So many Christians in Iran are accused of these baseless charges merely for attending prayer meetings in the privacy of their homes.”