A well-known political activist and Christian convert in Iran, Mohammad Nikbakht, has reportedly been threatened with execution, after his two brothers were sentenced to death.

Mohammad was violently arrested during a raid on his home in March by “approximately 200 armed security personnel”, according to the Iranian National Solidarity Council, of which he is a member.

He has been in Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison ever since, and is being held in the political prisoners’ ward, while his two brothers, Hadi and Fazlullah, have been in the general ward of the prison since October.

According to Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, Mohammad has been verbally threatened with execution, after Hadi and Fazlullah were sentenced to death around two weeks ago on charges of “corruption on Earth”.

According to the report, the charges against Mohammad’s brothers relate to their alleged involvement in organising protests against the regime.

All three brothers have previously campaigned for a referendum on the question of whether Iran should remain an Islamic Republic, and Mohammad has been arrested on multiple occasions and was once shot several times during a failed assassination attempt.

A petition demanding his release called him “more than just an Iranian political and human rights activist; he is a beacon of hope, a courageous voice for justice, and a Christian believer whose faith strengthens his commitment to truth and human dignity”.

The petition calls on the UN, democratic governments worldwide and international human rights and religious freedom organisations to “take immediate and decisive action” to “ensure his immediate safety”, and to “publicly warn Iranian authorities that Mohammad Nikbakht’s life must be protected and that they will be held fully accountable for any harm”.

“Mohammad’s faith, combined with his activism, makes him especially vulnerable,” it adds. “The Iranian regime relies on silence to continue its abuses. Activists and religious minorities are often targeted in isolation, away from the eyes of the world. Mohammad Nikbakht’s name must not disappear into that silence. Global attention can save his life.”

The Iranian National Solidarity Council is a political group with members inside and outside Iran that was established in 2022 and calls for a complete transition from the Islamic Republic to a democratic system and the full implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.