Three Christian converts including a woman pregnant with her first child have been summoned to begin prison sentences totalling over 40 years on charges related to their religious beliefs and worship meetings.

Narges Nasri, Abbas Soori and Mehran Shamloui were sentenced in March, and their appeals were rejected in April, meaning they could be summoned to begin their sentences at any time.

Yesterday, the three were told they had five days to submit themselves to Evin Prison to begin their sentences. Failure to do so would mean forfeiting bail equivalent to more than $20,000 each, and sources suggest they may now be out of the country.

The three Christians were arrested in November last year during concurrent raids by intelligence agents on their homes in Tehran, during which personal belongings including Bibles, crosses and musical instruments were confiscated.

At least 10 other Christians, including Narges’ three sisters, were arrested on the same November day during raids on Christian homes across the country, including in the cities of Karaj (near Tehran), Mashhad in the north-east, and Shiraz and Bandar Abbas in the south.

Narges, Abbas and Mehran were tried on 15 February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, where they faced charges of “membership of opposition groups”, “propaganda against the system” and “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law through foreign relations,” under Articles 499, 500 and 500 bis, respectively.

Pregnant Narges, 37, received the stiffest sentence – 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law”, five for membership of an “opposition group” (house-church) and an additional one year for “propaganda against the state” – for having posted on social media in support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.

Abbas, 48, received a total of 15 years in prison – 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for membership of an “opposition group” – while Mehran, 37, received an eight-year sentence for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second.

All three were also sentenced to years of deprivation of social rights, such as to health, employment or education – 15 years each for Narges and Abbas, and 11 years for Mehran – while Narges and Abbas were fined 330 million tomans ($3,500) each, and Mehran 250 million ($2,750). Narges and Abbas were also banned from membership of any group, residing in their home province of Tehran or leaving Iran for two years after their release.

Abbas was previously arrested in 2020 and later sentenced alongside another Christian convert, Maryam Mohammadi, and their pastor, an Iranian-Armenian, Anooshavan Avedian. Abbas and Maryam received non-custodial punishments including travel bans, exile from the province of Tehran and prohibition of membership in any political or social groups, while Anooshavan, who is in his 60s, was given a 10-year prison term. He was acquitted in September last year, having served just over one year of his sentence.