Iranian Christian converts were sentenced to prison

Revolutionary court of Tehran sentenced 4 Christian converts to a total of 20 years in prison.

 Panahande News – Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran has issued a total of 20 years in prison for four Christian converts, who were arrested in a house church located in Karaj road (the vicinity of Tehran), due to the disruption of national security through forming the house church and Christian activities.

In this verdict, some activities including the use of Christian symbols, having Bible and Christian CDs were referred to prove the crime. Also, their participation at Christian conferences outside Iran has also been cited as the reason for their conviction. The court claimed that the travel expenses of these individuals for attending these Christian conferences have been paid from abroad.

According to Mohabat News, the two of these new Christians, one man, and one woman, were present in the court and informed about the verdict. The Revolutionary Court also issued default judgment for the two other persons outside Iran, namely “Ismail Falahati and Mehdi Haj Mullah Hussein”. The court for these Christian converts was held behind closed doors and it is unclear whether the legal standards were respected in that court or not.

In the court, the minutes of arresting these Christian converts and attacking the house church was read. The minutes, set up by the Ministry of Intelligence of the Islamic Republic, referred that they were reading prayers and worships at the time of arrest, and this case was a reason for their criminal offense.

Meanwhile, officials of the Islamic Republic, including the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic, have repeatedly stated in international gatherings that nobody in Iran is imprisoned for having a belief!

In 2015, after the temporary release from the detention center, the Christian converts, Ismail Falahati, and Mehdi Haj Mullah Hussein, were forced to leave Iran under conditions of intense pressure from security forces. The two are now pending in Turkey. The interesting thing about the situation of these two Christians is that the Turkish government ordered Ismail Falahati and his family, namely the spouse and two young children, to leave this country. Meanwhile, if they return to Iran, their lives will be at risk.

On Friday, August 7, 2015, the Islamic Republic security and intelligence agents in Tehran attacked a house church on the Karaj road and arrested eight Christian converts gathered for worship ceremonies, including these four individuals with the issued verdict. Four of the detainees were women and four were men, four of whom were immediately released with commitment and guaranty. But these four people who were sentenced to prison were released on bail from Evin prison on September 9, 2015, after spending 33 days in jail, most of which were in solitary confinement along with psychological tortures.