Plainclothes officers of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) raided a gathering of around 80 Christians in a garden in northern Iran earlier this month, confiscating Bibles and musical instruments, and arresting one of the attendees.

Christian convert Somayeh Rajabi was arrested at the gathering in Gatab, Mazandaran Province, on 6 February.

According to Mohabat News, at least 20 members of the security forces took part in the evening raid on the Gatab gathering, at which Christians from the nearby cities of Gorgan and Babol had joined together.

Bibles, musical instruments and communication devices were confiscated, while the plainclothes forces demanded access to personal details and mobile phone passwords.

According to Mohabat News, the IRGC agents also conducted body searches, with those wearing cross necklaces singled out and officers forcibly tearing them off, injuring several individuals.

Meanwhile, emergency medical personnel who attempted to assist the injured were reportedly blocked by the agents.

A day after her arrest, Somayeh was permitted a brief phone call to her family, informing them that she had been transferred to a prison in Sari, the capital of Mazandaran Province.

No official charges have been announced against Somayeh, who remains in detention nearly two weeks after her arrest.

Iranian authorities routinely raid the homes of Christian converts and house-churches, seizing Bibles, crosses, and other Christian symbols, as well as personal belongings.

This is also not the first time that instruments of worship have been specifically targeted.

At the launch of Article18’s latest annual report in Geneva last month, former prisoner of conscience Amin Afshar-Naderi testified that a songbook he had used for leading worship “was cited in my court verdict as evidence of illegal Christian activities … [and] even used as a justification for accusation of my leadership role in a house-church. In the reports about me, even playing music was described as a tool for misleading others, despite the fact that music is universally recognised in Christian worship as a means of glorifying God.”

Like Somayeh, Amin’s second arrest took place while he was meeting with other Christians in a private garden – on that occasion, only for a picnic.

The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Nazila Ghanea, noted at the Geneva event last month that “unsubstantiated national security-related crimes, along with penalties for taking Communion wine, gathering for prayer, Christmas celebrations, and even a picnic, effectively criminalise normal Christian practices and social activity, while restricting the freedoms of association, expression and the right to manifest their religion or belief, even in private.”