Two Christian Citizens Arrested in Tehran Province

Security forces in Tehran Province have arrested Joseph Shahbazian and Nasser Nord Gol-tappeh, two Christian citizens, in the cities of Tehran and Parand. The organization 'Article 18', which focuses on the rights of Christian citizens, announced that these two individuals were arrested on February 7 and transferred to Evin Prison. The human rights organization Hengaw also reported that these two Christian citizens have gone on a 'hunger strike' in protest of their detention. Joseph Shahbazian had previously been sentenced to two years in prison on charges such as 'forming a house church' and 'creating a group aimed at disrupting national security', from which he was released last September after serving half of his sentence. Nasser Nord Gol-tappeh, a Christian convert, was released on parole in October 2022 after serving five years in prison. He had been sentenced to ten years in prison in 2017 for 'forming and running a house church'. Christians are recognized as one of three religious minorities in the Iranian Constitution. However, the Iranian government severely punishes Muslim citizens who convert to other religions, including Christianity, or those who promote and teach religions other than Islam. A UN Human Rights Council fact-finding committee confirmed in a report this August that religious minorities in Iran have been disproportionately and excessively repressed following the 'Women, Life, Freedom' protests. According to the report from 'Article 18', at least 96 Christian citizens were sentenced to a total of '263 years in prison' by the Iranian judiciary last year.