Iranian court upholds sentences for 5 Christians facing a combined 40 years in prison

Originally published in The Christian Post

An appeals court in Tehran has upheld the prison sentences of five Christians charged with “propaganda” for engaging in religious activities, a watchdog group reports. 

- Advertisement -

SA locals, click on banner to register. International guests, CLICK HERE

The five — Hessamuddin Mohammad Junaidi, Abolfazl Ahmadzadeh-Khajani, Morteza Faghanpour-Saasi and two others who have not been identified — were arrested in June 2024 along with two other individuals at their homes and workplaces in the towns of Varamin and Pishva, just outside of Tehran.

They were each sentenced to 7.5 years in prison in July at the 1st Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Varamin for engaging in “propaganda activity contrary to Islamic law due to overseas connections.” They each also received seven months for “propaganda against the system.”

- Advertisement -

Their convictions were upheld on Tuesday by the 36th Branch of the Tehran Appeal Court, according to the London-based group Article 18, which reports that the accused were pressured into signing statements recanting their faith in the hopes of receiving lighter sentences. The Christians were convicted under sections of the Islamic Penal Code that ban actions like participating in Christian training courses in Turkey and online church services. 

Faghanpour-Saasi reportedly endured physical torture during his pre-trial detention. He received an additional 17-month prison sentence for insulting Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on social media, according to Article 18. 

- Advertisement -

“All five Christians must appear at a civil court next week to face separate charges of ‘insulting Islamic sanctities’ — for having been present during a Zoom meeting in which a Christian leader living outside Iran is alleged to have said something that was considered to be critical of Islamic beliefs,” Article 18 reports. 

The charges against Faghanpour-Saasi relate to an alleged “illegal distribution of Christian books” and participation in online church services and Christian courses. Sources told Article 18 that Faghanpour-Saasi was tortured during the 20 days he spent in Ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison in 2024. 

Iran ranks as the ninth-worst country when it comes to Christian persecution on watchdog Open Doors International’s World Watch List. While Iran recognises some historic Christian communities, such as Armenians and Assyrians, they are often treated as second-class citizens impacted by discriminatory policies.  They are banned from preaching the Gospel in the Persian language. 

Meanwhile, most of the Christian population within Iran are Christian converts from Islam who face the most severe violations of their freedoms. They are viewed as apostates and treated as a threat to the Islamic government’s control over the people. Countless ministry leaders have been arrested and charged with “crimes against national security.” 

In August, the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence accused 53 Christians arrested in recent weeks of espionage. State media aired a video showing detainees, Bibles and other Christian resources they allegedly smuggled into the country.

“The clear suggestion being made here is that all Evangelical Christians are associates of [Israeli intelligence agency] Mossad,” Article 18 Director Mansour Borji said.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Please help us to keep on publishing news that brings Hope in Jesus:

>> Donate  >> Become a Super Subscriber

VISIT OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL: https://www.youtube.com/gatewaynews100

COMMENTING GUIDELINES
You are welcome to engage with our articles by making comments [in the Comments area below] that add value to a topic or to engage in thoughtful, constructive discussion with fellow readers. Comments that contain vulgar language will be removed. Hostile, demeaning, disrespectful, propagandistic and off-topic comments may also be moved. This is a Christian website and if you wish to vent against Christian beliefs you have probably come to the wrong place and your comments may be removed. Ongoing debates and repetitiveness will not be tolerated. You will also disqualify yourself from commenting if you engage in trolling.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*


Click banner for more info