Two Iranian Christian converts are among 30 women prisoners of conscience to have signed a joint statement denouncing state executions in Iran, as protesters continue to be sentenced to death.

Sara Ahmadi and Malihe Nazari, who are serving eight and six years in prison, respectively, for their involvement in house-churches, joined their fellow inmates in the women’s ward of Tehran’s Evin Prison in co-signing the statement, which was shared on Twitter yesterday on the campaign page of one of the other women, Fariba Adelkhah.

“Whatever our religious and political beliefs and backgrounds – women’s-rights defenders, Marxists, human-rights activists, environmentalists, student activists, communists, photographers, ‘mothers of justice’ and ‘mourning mothers’ [women whose children were killed by the regime], Erfan-e-Halgheh, Christians, Baha’is, monarchists, members of Iran’s National Elites Foundation, researchers, child-rights activists – we agreed to say ‘no’ to executions,” the women wrote.

The full text of the statement, and list of signatories, can be read below.

Sara is the wife of Homayoun Zhaveh, a 64-year-old man with advanced Parkinson’s disease, who is also serving a two-year sentence in Evin for his involvement in their house-church. 

Malihe was part of the same case as Joseph Shahbazian, an Iranian-Armenian pastor now serving a 10-year sentence in Evin, and Mina Khajavi, who also faces six years in prison. 

There are currently at least 18 Christians serving sentences of prison or exile in Iran because of their participation in house-churches.

House-churches have become the predominant meeting place for Persian-speaking Christians over the past decade, in the wake of the forced closure of churches that offered services in the national language of Persian.

However, even though these meetings are no different from other church services or the “house groups” offered by churches around the world, the Iranian regime has labelled them “enemy groups” that “threaten national security”.

As a result, their members are routinely harassed and arrested, and in recent years have faced sentences of up to 15 years in prison.

Full text of statement

“We, the political and ideological prisoners of the women’s ward of Evin prison, demand an end to the executions of protesters and an end to the unjust sentences imposed on prisoners in Iran,” the 30 women wrote.

“We have all been sentenced, to a total of 124 years in prison, following unfair and non-transparent trials. This is equivalent to several generations of human life. 

“Whatever our religious and political beliefs and backgrounds – women’s-rights defenders, Marxists, human-rights activists, environmentalists, student activists, communists, photographers, ‘mothers of justice’ and ‘mourning mothers’ [women whose children were killed by the regime], Erfan-e-Halgheh, Christians, Baha’is, monarchists, members of Iran’s National Elites Foundation, researchers, child-rights activists – we agreed to say “no” to executions.

“We defend the right of people to live, with justice.”

Afsane Emami
Bahareh Soleymani
Elnaz Eslami
Farangis Mazloom
Faezeh Hashemi
Fariba Adelkhah
Gelareh Abbasi
Haleh Gholami
Hasti Amiri
Mahnaz Tarah
Malihe Nazari
Maryam Haj Hosseini
Morvarid Fartoomi
Nahid Taghavi
Narges Adib
Narges Zarifian
Nazanin Mohammad Nejad
Niloufar Bayani
Nooshin Jafari
Raha Askari Zadeh
Samin Ehsani
Sara Ahmadi
Sepideh Qolian
Sepideh Kashani
Shohreh Gholikhani
Roshanak Molaei
Zhila Makvandi
Zohreh Daravri
Zohreh Sarv
Zohreh Zivar