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Iran

• Armenian Christian Faces Ten-Year Sentence

  

  Hakop Gochumyan and his wife Elisa are citizens of Armenia who went to Iran for vacation in August 2023. While the Christian couple and their two children were having dinner at a friend's house, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided the property. The authorities took the Christian family to the home of Elisa's grandmother, where the believers had been staying, and proceeded to search the residence. During the raid, Christian books and other personal belongings were confiscated. The couple was then taken to Evin Prison where they faced interrogation and intense psychological torture.

• Esmaeil Narimanpour Sentenced to Prison

  

  On Christmas Eve of 2023, Esmaeil Narimanpour was apprehended by security forces. The Iranian follower of Jesus was charged with "acting against national security by communicating with Christian 'Zionist' organizations." As of April 30th, he was released on bail after spending more than four months in detention. For more details relating to his case, see these previously posted reports.

• Detained Christian Convert Released on Bail

  

  Christian convert Esmaeil Narimanpour was detained at his home on Christmas Eve in 2023. When his family members attempted to inquire about his situation, they were subjected to interrogation by security forces for several hours. For more details on this incident, go to this page.

• Ebrahim Firouzi Dies of Heart Attack

  

  Ebrahim Firouzi, an Iranian convert who was arrested several times for his Christian activities, unexpectedly passed away on February 20th from a heart attack. The Christian man's body was found in his home by his brother, who went to check on the believer after not hearing from him for a few days. Ebrahim was only 37 years old.

• Overseas Conversion Leads to Prison Sentence

  

  For some time, an Iranian woman named Laleh Saati lived in Malaysia and, while there, she was baptized as a Christian. Not wanting to return to Iran, Laleh applied for asylum, but the process continued to drag on without resolution. Frustrated with the delay, as well as missing her elderly parents, she returned to Iran in 2017.

• One Convert Released on Bail; Another Remains Detained

  

  Iman Golzar, a Christian convert, was detained on January 26th when agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided his house. While held in detainment, he was not allowed to have any communication with his family or friends. The accused also reportedly faced "severe mental and emotional pressure" during interrogation.

• Christian Detained on Christmas Eve

  

  Esmaeil Narimanpour* is an Iranian believer who has faced repeated detentions because of his faith in Christ. In April 2021, he was detained along with three others and tortured by the authorities. Two days later, due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, these four Christians were released on the condition that they would agree to return to custody when summoned (read more). Although they were eventually cleared of any criminal offence in November of that same year, they were ordered to take "re-education" classes about Islam.

• Imprisoned Christian Grieves Over Loss of Son

  

  In January 2019, Mehdi Akbari was arrested along with fellow Christian converts during coordinated raids on their homes. In October 2020, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for "acting against national security" by "forming an illegal evangelical Christian group." During the trial, which lasted mere minutes, the judge ridiculed the believer's faith and referred to Christianity as a "deviant religion."

• Christian Couple Acquitted

  

  Homayoun Zhaveh, a 64-year-old Christian with advanced Parkinson's disease, and his wife, Sara Ahmadi, have thankfully been acquitted by an Iranian court and released from prison. On April 9th, it was reported that their application for a retrial had been accepted. (See this previously posted report for further information on their case.)On May 9th, the appeal court judge found no evidence that either of these Christians had acted against national security, as initially accused.

• Retrial Ordered for Sara and Homayoun

  

  Sara Ahmadi and Homayoun Zhaveh, a Christian couple who had been detained since last August, were informed on April 9th that their third application for a retrial was accepted by Iran's Supreme Court. The first two applications, both filed in 2021, were rejected.

• Two Christians Released from Evin Prison

  

  When news broke out that Evin Prison in Tehran had experienced a fire on October 15th, families of the prisoners were rightly concerned about the safety of those who were inside during the incident. Sounds of gunfire had been heard in the prison, along with explosions. While the reason for the fire remains unclear, it has been reported that all Christian prisoners of conscience were unharmed. For two particular Christian inmates, the days that followed brought an unexpected blessing when they were pardoned and released from prison.

• Christian Couple Detained

  

  Homayoun Zhaveh and his wife Sara Ahmadi have faced legal difficulties since June 2019 because of their faith. In November 2020, Sara was sentenced to 11 years in prison for her alleged role in leading a house church. Homayoun was sentenced to two years for his membership with the church. Upon appeal, Sara's sentence was reduced to eight years. After their case was rejected by the Supreme Court of Iran, they expected to start serving their sentences in June 2021. However, when they presented themselves to Evin Prison, they were told to return home. (More details are available here.)

• Appeal Denied for Detained Christians

  

  Anooshavan Avedian is an Iranian‑Armenian Christian leader who was arrested for promoting "propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam" through the house church he operated in his home. He was sentenced to ten years' imprisonment, along with an additional ten years of "deprivation of social rights." While two Christian converts, Abbas Soori and Maryam Mohammadi, were also sentenced with the same ten‑year deprivation term, they were spared the prison time. See this report for more details.

• Health Concerns for Christian Prisoner

  

  In 2017, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh was sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly "acting against national security through the formation and establishment of an illegal church organization in his home." The arrest came after 30 police officers raided an engagement party he attended in June 2016. The authorities considered Naser the leader of the Christian gathering. For more details, go to this page.

• Sentences for Detained Christians

  

  An Iranian-Armenian Christian leader has been sentenced to ten years in prison for promoting "propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam" through the house church he operated in his home. The 60-year-old believer, Anooshavan Avedian, was arrested in August 2020 and released on bail a month later, along with two converts to Christianity.

• Christian Woman Now Facing Two-Year Sentence

  

  In July 2021, Fariba Dalir was arrested along with five other Christian converts, including her husband-to-be, Soroush. While awaiting trial, all six believers were ultimately released on bail – Fariba on November 18th and the others in October. While out on bail, Fariba and Soroush were married.

• Retrial Request Denied

  

  Last month, it was reported that the prison sentence for Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh was to be reviewed by the Supreme Court of Iran (read more). Naser was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to ten years in prison for allegedly "acting against national security through the formation and establishment of an illegal church organization in his home."

• Prison Sentence to be Reviewed by the Supreme Court

  

  On June 24th of 2016, 30 intelligence police agents raided an engagement party near Tehran, Iran. Everyone who attended the celebration was detained, including three visiting Christians from Azerbaijan. Most were released from custody, except for the three Azeri believers and Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh, whom the authorities considered the leader of the Christian gathering. For more details on this raid, go to this page.

• Prisoner Located and Since Released on Bail

  

  In the Persecution & Prayer Alert that VOMC published on September 30th, it was reported that three Christians had been arrested while attending a prayer meeting in Rasht, Iran, on September 5th. The report had mentioned that two of the believers were released on bail, but family members were unable to locate Ayoub Poor-Rezazade. See this report for more details.

• Arrests of Christian Converts During Prayer Meeting

  

  Three Christian converts were arrested while attending a prayer meeting in the Iranian coastal city of Rasht on September 5th. Intelligence agents raided the meeting and took Morteza Mashhoudkari, Ayoub Poor-Rezazade and Ahmad Sarparast for interrogation.