Court Confirms Five-Year Prison Sentence for Christian Convert

The ruling against Ibrahim Firouzi, a Christian convert in Iran who has been sentenced to five years in prison, has been confirmed by the appeals court. The Revolutionary Court convicted Mr. Firouzi of 'forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security,' but human rights defenders say he is imprisoned solely for his beliefs. Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Mohammad Mogheiseh, sentenced Ibrahim Firouzi to five years in prison in April 2015 for 'forming a group with the intent to disrupt national security.' The International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran, citing 'close associates' of Ibrahim Firouzi, states that he has denied forming a group or disrupting national security throughout the judicial process, and part of the evidence presented in court was the same evidence that had previously been used against him, leading to his conviction in past years. Since the issuance of Mr. Firouzi's sentence last year, he has been in Rajai Shahr Prison. Now, Mansour Borji, spokesperson for Article 18, affiliated with the Council of Protestant Churches in London, tells Radio Farda that this ruling has been ultimately confirmed and this Christian convert must spend the coming years in prison. The website 'Mohabat News,' which follows news of Christian citizens in Iran, states that the final ruling of the appeals court was issued on January 15 of last year. According to reports from Iran, Ibrahim Firouzi has been arrested and tried before. 'Mohabat News' reports that in 2013, the Revolutionary Court of Robat Karim sentenced him to one year in prison and two years of exile to the city of Sarbaz for 'propaganda against the Islamic Republic,' 'establishing and leading a deviationist Christian missionary organization,' and 'communicating with anti-revolutionary elements abroad and foreign anti-revolutionary networks.' Over the past years, there have been numerous reports of the arrest and trial of Christian converts in Iran. In December 2016, several human rights organizations issued a joint statement calling on the international community to work towards ending the 'harassment and persecution' of Christian converts in Iran.