Iran: Five Christians sentenced to more than 50 years in prison for religious activities

In Iran, five Christians have been sentenced to a total of more than 50 years in prison for religious activities, including participation in home worship services, prayers, Christmas celebrations and distribution of Christian literature. The Christian human rights organization Article18 reports that the verdict is yet another manifestation of the systematic repression of Christians in the Islamic Republic.

According to Article18, the sentence was handed down on October 21 by Judge Abolqasem Salavati in Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran, but the defendants became aware of it only a few weeks later. The convicts were found guilty not of criminal offenses but of religious acts such as prayer, baptism, participation in communion, keeping Bibles and celebrating Christian holidays.

Among those sentenced are Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian and convert to Christianity Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who had previously served prison terms for participating in house churches and were re-arrested last February. Lida Shahbazyan, Aida Najaflu and another woman, whose name was not disclosed, were sentenced in the same case.

Four of the five Christians each received ten years in prison under the amended Article 500 of Iran’s Penal Code, which penalizes certain forms of religious activity. Two of them received an additional five years each on «conspiracy» charges. Lida Shahbazian was sentenced to eight years in prison, while Aida Najaflu received an additional two-year sentence for «propaganda» on social media.

In addition to the lengthy prison sentences, personal belongings, including Bibles and Christian literature, were confiscated from the convicts. Article18 emphasizes that the case was accompanied by serious violations of judicial procedure and is a testament to the complete lack of religious freedom for Christians in Iran. The organization considers the verdict as a continuation of targeted repression against the Christian minority.

Recall, in London, an elementary school teacher was suspended and then dismissed after a complaint from a Muslim pupil. The incident occurred when the teacher made a remark to a group of schoolchildren who were washing their feet in the sinks. During the remark, the teacher noted that Britain «is a Christian country» and British values include the historical role of Anglicanism and the King as head of the Church of England.