New Wave of Shocking Sentences Issued Against Five Christian Citizens for Their Faith

A new wave of persecution against Christians has resulted in shocking and severe sentences against these citizens, highlighting new dimensions of pressure on the Christian community.

According to published reports, five Christian citizens named “Aida Najafloo, Joseph Shahbazian, Naser Nordgoltapeh, Lida Alkosani, and another citizen whose name is withheld,” have been sentenced to a total of at least 48 years in prison; sentences that are all solely related to Christian beliefs and peaceful religious activities.

According to the report, Joseph Shahbazian, Naser Nordgoltapeh, and another citizen have each been sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Ms. Lida Alkosani (Shahbazian’s wife) has been sentenced to 8 years. Aida Najafloo has received a total of 17 years in prison on three counts related to Christian activities, but according to Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, only 10 years are enforceable.

This is while almost all of the activities that the prosecutor described as “criminal acts,” ranging from forming house churches and prayer meetings to baptism, participating in the Lord’s Supper and celebrating Christmas, are peaceful and authentic Christian traditions.

In sections of the indictment, accusations have been made with vague language and without evidence. For example, phrases such as “assembly and conspiracy against security through contact with espionage services” have been used, and it has been claimed that these individuals’ foreign travels were “to receive instructions for conducting meetings based on the orders of the leaders of the crusader camp of the Evangelical Church of Armenia.”

Such accusations have been used for years against civil activists, environmentalists, journalists, and religious dissenters and are considered a familiar tool for suppressing religious freedoms.

At the beginning of the indictment, the prosecutor even cited a speech by Ali Khamenei in Qom from 15 years ago, a speech in which he warned about “the promotion of Christianity and house churches”; a point that many observers consider to be the beginning of intensified pressure against the Christian community.

In a section of the indictment related to Joseph Shahbazian, the prosecutor claimed that he “takes pride in his criminal acts.” These acts are nothing more than missionary activity among Persian speakers. As stated in the indictment text: “The defendant, according to the teachings of the Protestant sect and the Evangelical Church, views his goal from missionary activity as fulfilling Christ’s will in delivering the Gospel message to all nations.”

This stance comes at a time when the Islamic Republic shut down Persian-speaking Evangelical churches years ago and prominent leaders such as Bishop Haik Hovsepian-Mehr, Reverend Hussain Soodmand, and Reverend Mohammad Baqer Yousefi (chaplain) have either been killed or imprisoned.

On the other hand, the Islamic Republic government considers the promotion of Christianity a crime, but itself allocates extensive budgets annually for promoting Shiism and missionary activities.

The arrest and harsh sentences against Shahbazian and his wife have been issued at a time when the government has repeatedly claimed that Armenians and Assyrians enjoy complete religious freedoms, a claim that is in clear contradiction with the reality of treatment toward house churches and Christian citizens.

In the indictment related to Naser Nordgoltapeh, one of the charges specifically refers to the Bible. The text states that he “has repeatedly attempted to obtain the Gospel in Persian and kept it in his home.”

Goltapeh responded: “This action is part of being a Christian. I want to learn Christian theology and share it with my loved ones in Christ.”

Recent years of experience show that possessing or distributing the Bible in Persian is one of the most common pretexts used by security agencies to arrest Christians. Naser Nordgoltapeh, who was previously imprisoned for more than five years, went on a 35-day hunger strike due to his dealings with Christian citizens and was transferred to the hospital with signs suggestive of a heart attack.

On February 8, 2025, security forces raided the homes of several Christian families in Tehran and Prand. At least five citizens were arrested: Aida Najafloo, Joseph Shahbazian, Naser Nordgoltapeh, Lida Alkosani, and another citizen whose name is withheld.

Aida Najafloo was detained for 65 days in Ward 209 under interrogation and was then transferred to the women’s ward at Evin Prison. The bail set was so high that it practically blocked the path to freedom. For Aida Najafloo, 11 billion tomans, another citizen 2 billion tomans, Naser Nordgoltapeh from 10 to 15 and then 30 billion tomans, Lida Alkosani was released on May 13, 2025 with a bail of 4 billion tomans, and no bail has yet been set for Joseph Shahbazian.

Aida Najafloo, who is a mother of two and has a history of back surgery, suffered severe injuries in prison. A fall from a bed caused fractures in her vertebrae. Although surgeons considered immediate surgery necessary, she was returned to prison only one week after surgery (before recovery).

According to Aida’s lawyer, she now faces the risk of spinal cord damage, a situation that has again intensified concerns about the deprivation of conscientious prisoners from medical services.

The published reports about these five citizens are still being updated, but the wave of sentencing for other Christian citizens continues: “Morteza (Calvin) Faghanpoor Sassi, a resident of Varamin, approximately 9 years in prison, three other citizens named Hossein (Daniel) Mohammadi, Zahra (Hannah) Golami, and Timour (Cyrus), have also been summoned to prison to serve their sentences.