Six Christian converts arrested in Shiraz 26 June 2014 News Six Christian converts have been arrested in Shiraz and taken to an unknown location. The arrests took place on Friday, 20 June, at the house of a man known only by his surname, Fazli. In addition to Mr Fazli and his wife, Farkhondeh, two other women – Mitra Sotoodeh and Parastoo Shahabi – were arrested, as well as a man known as Yousef, and another unidentified individual. Armed plainclothes agents insulted the Christians and intimidated other residents of the building, stopping traffic at the entrance for hours while they conducted a search of Mr Fazli’s house, in Fars province. They also confiscated booklets, computers and satellite-television equipment, and destroyed the satellite dish on top of the building. There is still no news about where the Christians were taken. The pressure on Iranian Christian converts has increased rapidly during the past few years, following warnings from Iranian officials about the growth of “house churches”. In recent months, a number of Christians have been assaulted, harassed and arrested in various provinces. In some cases, Persian-language churches have been shut down and Christians prevented from practising their faith. Ahmed Shaheed, the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, said in his detailed recent report that the repression and restriction of fundamental freedoms of Iranian citizens continues unabated, while the persecution of Christian converts is “extremely worrying”.
Saeed Abedini beaten in hospital then taken back to prison 22 May 2014 News Christian prisoner Saeed Abedini, who has been receiving hospital treatment for two months, was beaten before he was taken back to prison, his wife says. Saeed, who is serving an eight-year prison sentence for “setting up house churches in order to disrupt national security”, was returned to Rajaei Shahr Prison in Karaj on Tuesday 20 May. His wife, Nagmeh, says his mother was also beaten and left in a “bad condition”. Nagmeh says her husband’s body was left bruised after he was stunned with a taser, and that he was also beaten, leaving him with internal bleeding. Saeed, who lives in America, was arrested during a visit to his family home in early October 2012. He was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in February 2013. His appeal was rejected by Branch 36 of the Court of Appeals in Tehran.
Mohammad Reza Partovi granted conditional release 16 May 2014 News One of four Christian converts detained in Shiraz’s Adel Abad Prison for over two years has been granted conditional release. Mohammed Reza Partovi was serving a sentence of three years and eight months, alongside fellow converts Vahid Hakani, Mojtaba Hosseini and Homayoun Shekoohi. The four were arrested in February 2012 and convicted in June 2013 of “promoting Christianity”, “association with Christian organisations abroad”, “propaganda against the state”, and “disrupting national security”. Following Mohammad Reza’s release on Tuesday, Vahid Hakani ended his hunger strike, which he had undertaken in protest against the authorities’ decision not to grant the Christians early release – now that they had served over half their sentences. Vahid’s health had deteriorated significantly during his hunger strike, and he had been transferred to the prison health centre. After their arrests in February 2012, it was over eight months before the Christians were given a court hearing – on 15 October 2012 – presided over by Judge Rashidi in Branch 3 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz. Their second hearing was held in the same branch on 28 December 2012. Then in October 2013 their appeals were rejected. Meanwhile, the wife and son of one of the Christians, Homayoun Shekoohi, were also given two-year suspended jail sentences. It is worth mentioning that the four men were forced to serve their sentences in the common criminal section of the prison, rather than in a special wing designed for political prisoners or other prisoners of conscience. The families of the Christians have made several pleas for their loved ones to be granted early release, but until now the Revolutionary Court judge had rejected their appeals.
Health concerns for Vahid Hakani as hunger strike goes on 28 April 2014 News After more than 36 days, imprisoned Christian convert Vahid Hakani’s hunger strike continues. Vahid is protesting against the verdicts issued by the judicial authorities against him and three fellow converts, Mojtaba Hosseini, Homayoun Shekoohi and Mohammad Reza Partovi. Article18’s Advocacy Director, Mansour Borji, expressed deep concern about his health, saying: “Before this, Vahid was transferred to the Faqihi Hospital in Shiraz due to a gastrointestinal problem and the deterioration of his physical condition. The continuation of this hunger strike may pose a serious threat to his health, and we are worried about this.” Borji added that the sentences against the men – of three years and eight months each in prison – “lack legal validity because the judge issuing the sentence, without legal backing, found the participation of Christians in the church an offence against the Islamic system and for that reason as a forbidden act”. The four men were first arrested at a “house church” meeting in Shiraz on 8 February 2012. Then on 10 June, 2013, Judge Rashidi, head of the Third Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz, citing their formation of a house-church, sentenced them to three years and eight months in prison for “forming a group and propaganda meetings with the aim of promoting and spreading [Christianity],” under Articles 498, 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code. Officials at the Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz, in response to Vahid’s hunger strike, initially transferred him to solitary confinement, and after his return to his cell prevented him from making telephone calls or receiving visitors. Various reports have been published about the harsh conditions in Adel Abad Prison’s Band-e-Ebrat (Ward of Lessons), including the denial of medical care for prisoners of conscience like Vahid.
Good Friday arrests in Tehran 22 April 2014 News Seven Christians were arrested at a house church in southern Tehran on Good Friday. The seven have been named as Nazi Irani, Maryam Asadi, Ali Arfa, Amin Mazloumi, and three Afghan nationals: Ehsan Sadeghi, Vahid Safi and Enayat Safi. Agents from the Ministry of Intelligence arrested the Christians at a gathering at Maryam’s apartment. The armed officers intimidated other residents in the building, and tore down all satellite-television receivers from the roof, before taking the seven Christians away in two white vans – to an unknown location. Following frequent visits to the police station by family members of the arrested Christians, they were eventually told their loved ones had been taken by intelligence agents. They were also told to refrain from giving interviews to the media. The families of Maryam and Amin eventually succeeded in speaking briefly with them over the phone. After the warnings of the leaders of the Islamic Republic – especially Ayatollah Khamenei – about the growth of house-churches, there has been a rapid escalation in pressure on Christians, with hundreds of Christian converts in various cities of Iran attacked, harassed and detained by security officials. In recent years, Persian-speaking churches have also been closed under pressure from the Ministry of Intelligence and some security-military institutions, and pressure on Christian centres has led to the growth of house-churches in the country, which increased the focus of pressure on such churches. Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in a 2010 speech, explicitly named the spread of house churches among the critical threats facing the regime. “They [our enemies] … resorted to different things, ranging from promoting debauchery to propagating fake schools of mysticism – fake forms of genuine mysticism – the Baha’i Faith and the house-church network,” he said. “These are some of the things that the enemies of Islam are pursuing today through studying, planning and prediction … And the goal is to undermine religion in society.” “House churches” mushroomed following the closure of several Persian-speaking churches, forcing Muslim converts to Christianity to take their faith “underground”. Ahmed Shaheed, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, warned last month that fundamental freedoms, such as the freedom of religion or belief, continue to be violated in Iran. In his latest report, he expressed concern over the targeting of Christian converts, as well as Baha’is, Gonabadi dervishes and Sunni Muslims. The European Parliament also recently criticised discrimination in Iran on grounds of ethnicity, gender and religion, and highlighted the situation of Bahai’s and Christian converts.
Christian convert Vahid Hakani goes on hunger strike 28 March 2014 News Christian prisoner Vahid Hakani has gone on hunger strike after his request for conditional release was rejected. He is also protesting against poor conditions in Shiraz’s Adel Abad Prison. Vahid has already been hospitalised once during his time in prison, as a result of gastrointestinal complications and the deterioration of his physical condition in the prison. Vahid is now in the second week of his hunger strike – he began on 20 March – and there are fears he will be exacerbating his illness. Vahid, along with fellow converts Mojtaba Hosseini, Homayoun Shekoohi and Mohammad Reza Partovi, are among the Christian prisoners of conscience in Adel Abad. On 10 June 2013, the four men were each sentenced to three years and eight months in prison at the Third Branch of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, on charges of “promoting Christianity”, “association with Christian organisations abroad”, “propaganda against the state”, and “disrupting national security”. In recent weeks their families have made several pleas for their release, as they are now eligible for early release, having served over half of their sentences. However, the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz has rejected their requests. Adel Abad has been called a place of “torture” for prisoners of conscience, who are held alongside regular criminal offenders, such as murderers and thieves. In a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, on 2 March, it was noted that it has been a hard year for minorities. According to Mr Shaheed, as of 3 January, at least 307 members of religious minorities were in jail, among them 136 Baha’is, 19 Gonabadi dervishes, 50 Christians, 90 Sunnis and two Zoroastrians.
Davood Irani 2 March 2014 Witness Statements Background 1. My name is Davood Irani and I am from Tabriz. I became a Christian on 28 August, 2005. 2. I was born in a non-religious family, but like all Iranians I was forcefully deemed a Muslim from birth. Not that I was not a Muslim but I did not have much faith. When I reached an age when I could research and read books, I reached the conclusion that the path I have chosen is the right one and I pursued it. I began serving in accordance with my faith after I accepted Christ. Leaving Tabriz 3. I moved to Tehran six or seven months after I converted, and settled there. I did not know any Christians in Tabriz, so I had to move to Tehran to have access to a “house church”. Since traveling back and forth between Tehran and Tabriz was costly, I had to find a job and settle in Tehran so that I could be a member of the church. 4. I moved to Shiraz after a while. I began my service at the church in Shiraz in May 2007. I worked there for about a year and a half as the director of the church. For security reasons, we made sure church membership did not exceed ten people. As a result we had churches in different parts of the city. Arrest and Imprisonment 5. We got a knock on our door at noon on 7 December, 2009. The landlord who lived downstairs came upstairs. We thought it was the landlord who had knocked. We opened the door and a few agents came inside. They were very polite. There were about five or six of them. Two of them were armed. They were plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Intelligence (MOI). 6. They came in and prepared a list of the items in our home. One of the first places they checked was the fridge. I personally never serve wine for Communion in my church, as we come from an Islamic background. I always bring juice like red grape juice to avoid causing any doubts for the believers. We were always very cautious about this matter. 7. They searched all of the rooms. They collected any signs of our belief from the walls. They did not show us a warrant, even when my wife asked to see it. I told her to keep quiet as they definitely had a warrant. They gathered my belongings. They collected all of my books. More than a hundred of my books were about Christianity. They took all religious symbols like crosses or religious paintings. There was just one painting with the image of the Christ that they did not take. They also did not take our satellite receiver. None of the items they took from our home, including my laptop and my wife’s personal computer, were ever returned to us. 8. There were two cars. One was a Peugeot and the other one was a grey Samand. They took us to the No. 100 detention centre [known in Shiraz as Pelak-e Sad]. When we approached the No. 100 detention centre, a person said “glasses”. This meant that we were to be blindfolded. They blindfolded us. We went inside the detention centre, and they put us in cabins that seemed to be wooden. They handcuffed us to a table. They brought us food. An official whom I later understood to be high-ranking came in. They stood me up and told him that they have arrested the suspect. Then we were interrogated separately. I was interrogated until 11pm that night. They gave me a sheet, and I wrote my defence argument. They told me that our charges were apostasy, spreading propaganda against the Islamic Republic, and membership in groups opposed to the Islamic Republic. The charge of insulting Islam was added later. I just explained that we are Christians, and that we have the right to hold our own beliefs, and to assemble, worship, and pray. I explained these things in that sheet. 9. These were the questions they asked: “What do you do?” “Where have you been?” They put the names of the friends with whom I was in contact in front of me. They said these were Christians. I said “No, they are not.” They said, “Yes, they are. You are lying.” I said, “I cannot declare their faiths on their behalf. They have to declare it themselves. I cannot say whether they are Christians or not.” After 11pm they put me in a cell. There were two other people in that cell. After one night they transferred me to another cell. There were usually two or three of us in that cell. I was interrogated every day. Interrogations began at 8 in the morning and lasted until lunchtime. I would return [to my cell] for lunch. The interrogation would resume after lunch, and they typically lasted until ten or half past ten. Sometimes they lasted until half past eight. 10. On the next day, 8 December, 2009, they took us to the Islamic Revolutionary Court’s Procurator’s Branch. They put us in a white van. They tied our hands and feet to the floor of the van. We were arraigned. The procurator, Mr Kheshti from the sixth branch, was polite. He talked about our beliefs. He spoke about us being Protestants. He said that we were Protestants, and that meant that we were protesting. He said that [because of being a Protestant] I was supposed to do something against the norm. This was what he believed. He wanted to make me confess. Anyway, they were wrong. After arraignment they said that we could post bail. But they only communicated this orally, and it was not true. They returned us to Pelak-e Sad detention centre. 11. My friends in Tehran arranged for us to be represented by a defence lawyer. I met with my lawyers, Ms. Giti Pourfazel and Mr Hossein Jadidi, [later on] when I was in Adel Abad Prison. 12. I was interrogated during roughly 25 of the 30 days that I was at Pelak-e Sad. I was interrogated both in the morning and in the afternoon. On some days they only interrogated me in the afternoon. For instance, if the interrogator came at noon, he would start the interrogation at that time. We had two interrogators. One would ask questions. The other one discussed religious matters. He wanted to convince me that my beliefs were wrong. The one who asked questions would say that he was obtaining intelligence regarding where we are connected to, and whether it is the UK or Israel. In our country there has been a lot of propaganda about the UK and Israel. They [commonly] accuse people of being in contact with the UK. When they open a Bible, and the phrase “Elam” is printed in it, they say that Elam is an organisation led by the British government, and that we are connected to the British and receive money from them. They asked us to tell them the names of individuals in Tehran with whom we were connected. The one who discussed religious issues continuously said that we were wrong. Or, for instance, he would ask me about fundamental Christian teachings and tried to convince me that I was wrong and misguided. 13. I defended my beliefs. Regarding the persons they asked about, well, they already had their names. There was no need to hide anything and things were very clear. But it was not necessary for me to tell them everything. 14. I requested to be transferred to a solitary cell, but my request was denied. My wife was in solitary confinement for three days. They had arrested four of us [from the house church]. The other two were members of my church as well. We were interrogated separately. 15. In addition, they had arrested an old couple. They had taken them to the infamous “glass room” at the Pelak-e Sad detention centre. The old couple showed a lot of resolve. They held them for three days to punish them, but they dropped the charges against them. However, later on the authorities summoned 40 members of our church and interrogated them. They wrote down their names and asked them about their beliefs, but they released them. 16. Their questioning was designed for gaining additional information. For instance, they would falsely say that my wife has told them something. Or they would say that someone has said something behind my back. This is what they were working on. In reality, it was a psychological game. It was not torture in the conventional sense, but we can call it psychological torture when your wife is in another cell and they put someone next to you who repeatedly says that your wife may be raped. 17. They had no problem in saying that our crime was apostasy. However, during interrogations they would tell me that they would not charge us with apostasy, and that they would focus on the political aspects of the case. But in reality they pressured me because I had become an apostate. They would repeatedly say that I was born to Muslim parents and that I was a Muslim who has converted. 18. MOI agents threatened me. For instance, they would calmly say that if I continued what I did and kept evangelising, maybe a car would strike me. They would say that if I spoke about my faith, maybe something would happen to me. “Anyway, you have a wife. You may go on a trip,” they would say. Difficult conditions at Adel Abad Prison 19. They transferred me to Adel Abad Prison. They took me to the quarantine ward. The quarantine ward contains all kinds of offenders. It is very large. One could say that two to three hundred people are living in a limited space. This place has triple bunk-beds. Many sleep on the floor. There are only three showers and four toilets for two hundred people. These showers don’t have cold water. They only have hot water. The water is 60 degrees [Celsius], and using it is very hard. The prison is in a terrible condition. There are mice under the blankets when you sleep. Everywhere was infested with lice. I slept in a corridor which was between the exit gate and our ward, which was the quarantine ward. The gate was not covered with glass. I got a severe flu. They do not dispense any medications in the prison. They only give me a penicillin pill once every three days. No treatment is offered. This is because they are concerned about illicit drug use. Someone might abuse the drugs by making a solution and injecting it or use it in some other way. It is a very difficult situation. Adel Abad is a frightening and, unfortunately, an unhygienic prison. 20. I requested to see a doctor a number of times. I was very sick, and I had only one blanket to keep myself warm. They did not care at all. It was not just me. They did not care about any of the prisoners. It is a horrible situation. [They pick] people imprisoned for financial crimes to be in charge. They treat prisoners with a lot of disrespect and cruelty. They beat the prisoners severely. Sometimes they just beat the prisoners to put them in their place. One of the wardens spoke to me in a very rude manner once. But the prisoners were very nice to me and treated me with a lot of respect. They would open up to me, and I had good discussions with them and I prayed for them. 21. I had been in Adel Abad Prison for two to three days when they returned me to Pelak-e Sad detention centre so that I would face a Christian who did not believe in the Trinity. They wanted to see how our discussion regarding the Trinity or the Holy Spirit would turn out. A number of people had come from Tehran [for this purpose]. Or that was what they told me. I sensed that a number of people were in the room behind me and that they were recording us. We had a discussion about the Trinity and they wanted to observe this discussion. I do not know what they were after. They had previously asked me who I thought would continue my [ministry] in Shiraz after me. Maybe they wanted to test me. 22. Overall I was in Adel Abad Prison for ten days. My wife was released five days earlier than me. We were released on bail of 30 million tomans each [around $30,000]. First, one of our friends from Marvdasht, a town near Shiraz, kindly posted bail for us. However, since he wanted to get a loan, we had to return the bail. We found another person to post bail for us from Tehran three months later, and we posted that bail instead. Release and leaving for Georgia 23. Despite giving a pledge [to stop our activities], we continued our activities after we were released. When I was being released from Adel Abad Prison they told me that I was barred from leaving the country. But I knew that after six months the law requires [the authorities to present] a reason for extending the travel ban. 24. A year later, in December 2010, many [Christians] were arrested across Iran. Many of my friends went to Evin Prison. Ministry of Intelligence agents sent a message for me with each person they released from Evin Prison. In fact, they were threats, saying that they would come after me. 25. They had made these threats when I was detained as well. In reality these were attempts to make me leave the country. When we were about to leave Iran, we did not think that they had lifted our travel ban, even though they had not yet issued our verdict. I had also been able to get my identification documents from Pelak-e Sad six months after my release. 26. Eventually we decided to leave the country. In June 2011 we flew from Imam Khomeini Airport to Georgia. They did not hold a trial for us. One of our friends brought us a sheet of paper indicating that we had been acquitted of the charge of insulting Islam. They had not even mentioned the charge of insulting Islam during the interrogations. We were very surprised when we saw it. At least if it was brought up during the interrogations we would think that it was an issue. But this was not the case. They had just added the charge. 27. My wife and I later realised that we had both been sentenced to two years of imprisonment on the charge of acting against national security and [other] political charges. This sentence was issued to our lawyer. I only have a copy of the verdict, which sentences my wife and me to two years of imprisonment. 28. We did not intend to go to the UN. But our case turned out this way. After about a year, my wife’s passport was about to expire. Mine was valid until 2014, but my wife’s passport was valid for only three more months. We didn’t risk going to the Iranian embassy to renew her passport. Eventually we had to go to Turkey, so that we could [apply for asylum with] the UN. We flew to Istanbul. We then went to Antalya. After a month in Antalya we went to ASAM [Association for Solidarity with Asylum-Seekers and Migrants] in Ankara. Source: Iran Human Rights Documentation Center
Pastor’s wife Shahnaz Jizan released from prison 28 January 2014 News Shahnaz Jizan, the wife of Ahvaz Assemblies of God Church pastor Farhad Sabokrooh, was released from prison today. The couple were first detained during a Christmas celebration at their church in December 2011, when every member of the church was arrested. Most were released after interrogations and threats to have no further participation in Christian activities, but the pastor and his wife, as well as church members Nasser Zamen-Dezfuli and Davoud Alijani, were detained. They were released on bail a few months later, but in October 2012 they were each sentenced to one year in prison, under Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, for “a tendency towards Christianity, inviting Muslims to convert, and propaganda activities against the system through the propagation of evangelical Christianity”. According to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, “Anyone who engages in any type of propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran, or in support of opposition groups and associations, shall be sentenced to three months to one year of imprisonment.” The verdict was pronounced by Judge Seyyed Mohammad Bagher Mousavi at Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court. The four Christians lost their appeals and were taken to prison in May 2013 to begin their sentences. Shahnaz is the last of the four to be released from prison, after nearly a year. Her husband, Farhad, and Nasser were released in December, after both had spent 214 days in Sepidar Prison. Davoud was released a month later after spending 257 days in Karoun Prison. But the couple’s Ahvaz church was shut down following the arrests, one of a significant number of churches that have fallen victim to the Iranian government’s security crackdown on Persian-speaking Christians in recent years.
Third Ahvaz Christian released from prison 13 January 2014 News Ahvaz Assemblies of God church member Davoud Alijani has been released after 257 days in Karoun Prison. Davoud was arrested during a Christmas celebration in December 2011, alongside all other members of his Ahvaz church. Most were released after being interrogated and ordered to have no further participation in Christian activities, but Davoud was detained, alongside fellow church member Nasser Zamen-Dezfuli and their pastor Farhad Sabokrooh and his wife Shahnaz Jizan. In October 2012 all four were sentenced to one year in prison for “inviting Muslims to change religion” and “propaganda against the regime through the promotion of evangelical Christianity”. And, having failed with their appeals, they were taken to serve their sentences in May 2013. Farhad and Nasser were released in December, after 214 days in Sepidar Prison, but Shahnaz remains in prison.
Four converts arrested in Karaj 8 January 2014 News Four Christian converts – Sara Rahimi Nejad, Majid Sheidaei, Mostafa Nadri and George Issaian – were arrested by plainclothes security officers in Fardis, Karaj on New Year’s Eve, according to the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. ICHRI’s source reported that “several Christian converts had gathered at the home of George Issaian to celebrate the New Year when plainclothes forces stormed the home, beat up those in attendance, and arrested them in an insulting way”. The source said the agents searched the home and the converts, and confiscated “a computer, laptops, CDs, family albums, a satellite receiver, and several books and notes”. The source added that the families of those detained had not received any news about their situation, despite visiting both Tehran’s security police and Evin Prison. Iran continues to harass and arrest Christians, especially over the Christmas and New Year period, as Christians gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus. On Christmas Day, five more Christian converts – Ahmad Bazyar, Faegheh Nasrollahi, Mastaneh Rastegari, Amir Hossein Nematollahi, and a man with the surname Hosseini – were arrested at a “house church” in eastern Tehran. Nothing more is known about their situation other than that a family member of one of the five said they had been arrested by Revolutionary Guards and taken to Ward 2A of Evin Prison. Meanwhile, Mohabat News has reported that another Christian, Hossein Saketi Aramsari, has been sentenced to one year in prison at Branch 1 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court, under Judge Assef Hosseini. Hossein, known as Stephen, was arrested in northern Iran last summer and is being detained in Ward 7 of Karaj’s Central Prison. In another development, Persian-speaking Christians have been banned from entering the evangelical St Peter’s Church in Tehran. Earlier, due to pressure from the Islamic Republic, the Central Assemblies of God Church on Taleghani Street in Tehran, the largest Persian-speaking church in Iran, was closed and remains so. Human rights violations have continued in Iran, despite the arrival of the “moderate” Hassan Rouhani as president. The UN’s Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, Ahmed Shaheed, noted in his report last year that “restrictions on the rights of religious minorities, freedom of expression and religious activities of Christians, Baha’is, Sunni Muslims, Dervishes and other non-Shiite religious communities continue, and the human rights situation in Iran is not improving”.