Iran is considered one of the countries that most persecute Christians in the world, ranking 9th in the NGO ranking Open doorswhich compiles global data on violence and intimidation against adherents of Christianity.
In the last year, the Persian nation, commanded by Shiite leaders, intensified attacks against religious people, through arbitrary arrests, the confiscation of Bibles and other materials, and internet surveillance, aiming to combat the spread of the Christian faith, interpreted as a “threat from the West” to Islam and the ayatollahs’ regime.
So much so that the conversion of Muslims to Christianity can become a reason for imprisonment in the country. A recent example of this was the case of Iranian Esmaeil Narimanpour, a Christian convert from Islam who was released from prison after spending more than four months in detention on charges of being part of “Zionist Christian groups”. Narimanpour also had to go through a process of “religious re-education”, according to international organizations.
Likewise, anyone found to be a member of a house church can be accused of committing a “crime against national security”, another strategy frequently used by the regime, which can result in extensive prison sentences. Even after being released, many Christians continue to be monitored by authorities, especially on the internet.
According to Open doorssince July last year there has been a wave of mass arrests against religious people in Iran. Some former prisoners who had been released were arrested again in this movement.
Shabeddin Shahi, who has been detained for five months for a 2019 conviction for “propaganda against the Islamic regime”, is one of numerous Christians awaiting trial in the country. According to the organization Middle East Concernhe turned himself in to authorities last month and is now awaiting further interrogation and a final hearing to learn his fate.
The Christian already served part of his sentence five years ago and was arrested again in December last year with Milad Goodarzi and the brothers Alireza and Amir Nourmohammadi.
Goodarzi, a Christian leader, was kidnapped by Iranian Intelligence agents last year and taken for long interrogations, along with four other members of his church, in the Karaj region, a large suburb of Tehran. In addition to the kidnapping, he had his computer and cell phone confiscated in the action.
The religious leadership had already served three years of a sentence for “promoting propaganda against the Islamic Republic”, a charge provided for in an amendment to article 500 of the Penal Code.
The brothers Alireza and Amir Nourmohammadi were arrested in the same period for carrying out Christian activities in Iran. The charges stated that they propagated “depraved teaching” and “propaganda contrary to the holy Islamic law by sharing false statements on religious matters”. Each had to pay bail of 300 million tomans (approximately US$3,000 or around R$15,000).
The NGO Article 18focused on protecting the rights of Christians around the world, released a report in February this year, which showed that 166 followers of Christianity were detained last year, an increase compared to the 134 arrests recorded in 2022.
According to the organization, this growing trend in persecution was most evident from June to August, when 100 arrests occurred, and then another wave of mass arrests emerged around the Christmas period.
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