Morteza is serving a sentence of nine and a half years in Tehran’s Evin Prison on charges related to his religious activities.
Morteza, who is from the city of Varamin, south of Tehran, was one of seven seven Christian converts arrested in June 2024 in Varamin and the nearby city of Pishva.
Morteza was arrested at his workplace, after which security forces raided his home, confiscating Bibles, evangelistic booklets, his mobile phone and Christian images displayed on his walls.
During his six months in pre-trial detention, he spent 20 days in Ward 209 of Evin Prison — operated by the Ministry of Intelligence — where he was tortured. He was then held for another month in Ward 240, before being transferred to Ward 8 for four months after being unable to post bail.
In July 2025, Morteza and four others were sentenced to a combined total of over 40 years in prison.
The five Christians were each sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for “propaganda activity contrary to Islamic law due to overseas connections” and seven months for “propaganda against the system”.
Morteza was given an additional 17-month prison sentence for allegedly insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader on social media.
The converts were pressured to renounce their faith in exchange for reduced sentences.
Morteza was summoned to begin his sentence in November 2025.
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