Heavy Prison Sentences for Christian Citizens Confirmed by Tehran Appeals Court
A fresh wave of heavy sentences against Christian citizens at Tehran Appeals Court once again demonstrated the suppression of freedom of thought and a blatant violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights by the Islamic Republic.
Tehran Province Appeals Court recently confirmed heavy prison sentences and social deprivation for a group of Christian citizens. These sentences, issued against eight Christians, amount to over 80 years of imprisonment, decades of social deprivation, and substantial monetary fines.
In one case, Branch 36 of the Appeals Court on September 17, 2025, confirmed the conviction of five Christian citizens named “Morteza (Calvin) Faghampour Sasi,” “Abolfazl (Benjamin) Ahmadzadeh Khajani,” “Hossam al-Din (Yahya) Mohammad Jenidi,” and two others whose names are withheld.
According to this ruling, each of them was sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment on the charge of “religious propagation contrary to Islamic law” and seven months imprisonment on the charge of “propaganda against the system.” Additionally, Morteza Faghampour Sasi faced an additional 17 months imprisonment due to the charge of “insulting the leadership.” The court, emphasizing the “implementation of the most severe punishment,” declared that the harshest sentence of seven and a half years imprisonment would be executed for each person.
A source close to the families stated: “Holding home churches, promoting and propagating Christianity, participating in virtual universities outside the country, traveling to Turkey for educational courses, and recruiting people to Christianity were among the instances cited as criminal offenses in the case of these citizens.”
In another case, Branch 36 of the Appeals Court on May 24, 2025, also confirmed the original sentences against three Christian citizens residing in Tehran, “Mehran Shamlooei,” “Abbas Suri,” and “Narges Nasri.” These three had previously been sentenced by Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court to a total of 41 years and 8 months imprisonment, 41 years of social deprivation, and 910 million tomans in monetary fines.
The details of this ruling show that Abbas Suri was sentenced to 15 years of social deprivation, 15 years of prohibition from residing in Tehran and neighboring provinces, 10 years imprisonment, and an additional 5 years imprisonment for the charge of membership in opposition groups.
Mehran Shamlooei was sentenced to 8 years imprisonment, an additional 2 years and 8 months imprisonment for the charge of membership in opposition associations, and long-term social deprivations.
Narges Nasri was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment, an additional 5 years imprisonment for membership in opposition associations, one year imprisonment for propaganda against the system, 15 years of social deprivation, and 330 million tomans in monetary fines.
These individuals were arrested in November 2024 by Ministry of Intelligence agents for holding home churches and were detained in Ward 209 of Evin Prison for interrogation. They were later released a month later on bail.
These sentences demonstrate that the Islamic Republic not only fails to recognize freedom of conscience, but by criminalizing home worship and peaceful religious activities, subjects Christians to systematic suppression.
Iran is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which explicitly guarantees in Article 18 the right to freedom of religion and conscience, the freedom to change religion, and the freedom to practice religious rites. Article 27 also emphasizes the protection of religious minorities.
Despite these commitments, the Islamic Republic, using vague and security-related charges such as “membership in opposition groups,” “promoting Zionist Christianity,” or “propaganda against the system,” punishes Christian citizens with heavy prison sentences, social deprivation, and even internal exile.
The conviction totaling over 80 years of imprisonment for eight Christian citizens is merely one example of the repressive policies that have intensified against Persian-speaking Christians in recent years.
Churches, Christian councils, and international human rights organizations must not remain silent in the face of this blatant repression. Today, dozens of Christian citizens in Iran face lengthy prison sentences and severe deprivations simply because of their faith and beliefs.
Their voices must be heard in the world. The international community’s silence only legitimizes the continued violation of the fundamental rights of Christians in Iran. Now is the time for churches worldwide to act in unison for the freedom of their brothers and sisters in faith in Iran.
