Police Arrest Martyred Christian's Daughter and Her Husband

04 October 2006

^{Picture from}^{Compass Direct}^{(used by permission)}

Iranian secret police have arrested a Christian couple for unspecified reasons in the northeastern city of Mashhad, according to a September 29 report from Compass Direct.

On September 26 at 7:00 a.m., plainclothes policemen who declined to identify themselves demanded entrance into the apartment that Fereshteh Dibaj (28) shares with her husband, Reza Montazami (35), and their daughter Christine (6).

The men claimed they had permission from the proper authorities and conducted a complete search of the family's home. They confiscated the couple's computers, various other personal items and all of the Christian literature in the house. Fereshteh and Reza were taken away in an unmarked car.

Before their arrest, the couple was able to contact Reza's mother to care for their six-year-old daughter. Attempts by the family to discover their location after their arrest and to gain access to them were stymied by authorities. This obstruction continued on September 28 when the authorities told Reza's parents that the couple was to appear before a Revolutionary Court tribunal at a certain time and location. When they arrived for the trial, however, Reza and Fereshteh were not there. They were told to come back on Saturday for a possible trial.

On Friday, September 29, Reza made a very brief phone call to the family to say he was fine, but he had no information about Fereshteh. This caused considerable concern for her family and other Iranian Christians around the world. Finally, on October 3, Reza's parents heard from Fereshteh who indicated that she and her husband were both fine.

Fereshteh is the youngest daughter of Rev. Mehdi Dibaj, who was martyred for his faith in 1994 on his way to Fereshteh's birthday party. He had previously spent over nine years in jail on charges of apostasy.

Ask God to protect Reza and Fereshteh from fear and keep them faithful (Revelation 2:10, 1 Peter 3:14-17). Pray that they will be delivered soon (2 Corinthians 1:9-11). Pray for their daughter during their detention (Psalm 10:17-18; Psalm 68:5).

For more information on the persecution of Christians in Iran, click here.

Current Ministry Fund
By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.

Project Fund: Underground Church
Country Information
Designation
Persecuted

Population
87,590,873 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity
Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribes

Religion (%)
Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)

Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)

Government type
Theocratic republic

Legal system
Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Iran
As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.