Originally published by Assist News Service
Ruling could see 9 Christians released from prison
Iran has decided that belonging to a house church does not make Christians ‘enemies of the state’, according to Open Doors UK & Ireland.
The charity reports that the country’s Supreme Court has ruled that nine Christian converts serving five-year prison sentences for going to house-churches should not have been charged with ‘acting against national security’.
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The decision, handed down on November 3 but only communicated to the Christians’ lawyers on November 24, states explicitly that their involvement in house-churches and even the propagation of what is referred to as the
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“Evangelical Zionist sect” should not be deemed as against national security.
Open Doors’ partner and Article18’s advocacy director, Mansour Borji, says the judgement has the potential to become a landmark ruling.
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“We welcome this ruling from the highest court in the land,” he said. “The Supreme Court’s ruling should now pave the way for the release of the nine Christians following a retrial at a Revolutionary Court.
“Even more importantly, it will give the Christians – and thousands of others across Iran – hope that they may now be able to worship together in their homes without fear of imprisonment.”
The nine men, members of a house church in Iran’s northern city of Rasht, were arrested in January and February 2019.
Nine months later, in October, they each were handed a five-year prison sentence on charges of ‘acting against national security through promoting Christian Zionism’. They appealed their sentences but with no success.
While Iran’s legal system does not allow for a court precedent to be set, the judgement could influence cases against Persian-speaking Christians.
More than 20 Christians are currently jailed in Iran for their involvement in house-churches. In all cases the charges amounted to ‘actions against national security’.
The Supreme Court’s ruling states that: “Merely preaching Christianity, and promoting the ‘Evangelical Zionist sect’, both of which apparently means propagating Christianity through family gatherings [house-churches] is not a manifestation of gathering and collusion to disrupt the security of the country, whether internally or externally.”
It adds that the “formation of these societies and groups [house-churches] is not [a breach of] Articles 498 and 499 of the Islamic Penal Code [relating to membership or organisation of “anti-state groups”], or other criminal laws.”
This is significant because Articles 498 and 499 were used in the convictions of each one of Iran’s Christian prisoners of conscience.
The ruling further states: “The promotion of Christianity and the formation of a house-church is not criminalised in law.”
Open Doors and Article18 are continuing to call for clarification from the Iranian authorities of where Persian-speaking Christians can worship without fear of arrest and imprisonment.
Mansour said: “We further call for Persian-speaking Christians to be provided with a specific place of worship, as is their right under both Iran’s constitution and the international covenants to which Iran is a signatory, without reservation.”
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