Yousef Naderkhani and Three Other Christians Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison Each

Reports indicate that Branch 26 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in Tehran has sentenced Yousef Naderkhani, a Christian convert priest, along with three other 'dissident' Christians to long prison terms. According to 'Mohabbat News', Judge Ahmadzadeh, head of Branch 26, sentenced Yousef Naderkhani, Mohammad Reza Omidi, Mohammad Ali Maseb Zadeh, and Zaman Fadaei to 10 years in prison each on charges of 'forming a home church' and 'promoting what has been termed as Zionist Christianity' on July 3. Additionally, Yousef Naderkhani has been sentenced to two years of exile to Nikshahr County in Sistan and Baluchestan Province. Mohammad Reza Omidi has also been sentenced to 10 years in prison and two years of exile to Borazjan in Bushehr Province. Reports state that the trial of these four Christian converts took place on June 14 of this year in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ahmadzadeh. They have 20 days to appeal these sentences. Reports indicate that Yousef Naderkhani, along with his wife and the other three individuals, was arrested on May 13, 2016, by security forces during a ceremony held in a private home in Rasht. Yousef Naderkhani and his wife were released a few hours later, while the other three were released later upon posting bail. Meanwhile, Judge Ahmadzadeh also sentenced four other Christians, Viktor Batmurz, Hadi Asgari, and Kaveh Fallah Mohammadi, each to ten years in prison, and Amin Afshar Naderi to 15 years in prison in June of this year. Yousef Naderkhani had previously been arrested in 2009 in Rasht. The initial court accused him of 'apostasy' and 'inviting other Muslims to Christianity', 'creating a secret church in his home', and 'openly opposing Islam', and reportedly a death sentence was issued for him. However, due to widespread protests from Western governments and human rights organizations, this Christian priest was eventually acquitted of the charge of 'apostasy' and sentenced to three years in prison for 'propaganda against the regime', and since he had served this time in prison, he was released. In this context, the issuance of long-term prison sentences for four Iranian Christians is significant.