End of Imprisonment Term for ‘Morteza Hajib Mashhoudkari’ Christian Citizen

“Morteza Hajib Mashhoudkari,” a Christian citizen, was released after serving his imprisonment sentence.

Morteza Hajib, a Christian citizen residing in Rasht, was arrested in Farvardin 1401 (March-April 2022) along with two other citizens named Ahmad Sarparast (Yohana) and Ayyub Pourrazazadeh (Farzin) due to peaceful religious activities and each was sentenced to 5 years imprisonment.

In spring 1402 (2023), Morteza Hajib’s sentence was reduced to half, amounting to two and a half years, upon appeal. He, along with Ahmad Sarparast and Ayyub Pourrazazadeh, was released from Lakan Prison in Rasht in Aban 1402 (October-November 2023) and was forced to serve the remainder of his sentence under “open verdict” conditions.

An “open verdict” is a decision that allows a prisoner to work in industrial and production centers under judicial supervision with limited income while serving their sentence.

These Christian citizens were convicted under Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code on charges of “deviant educational missionary activity contrary to the holy Islamic Sharia through the establishment of a home church.”

Finally, on Tuesday, December 3rd, Morteza Hajib Mashhoudkari was informed by prison authorities that his sentence had ended and he no longer needed to report daily to the factory where he worked from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

It should be noted that one month of his sentence remained, which was considered by authorities as leave leading to his release.

Christian citizens in Iran have been subjected to oppression, torture, mistreatment, harassment, and arrest for years. Even after their release from prison, they remain deprived of normal rights such as employment. Citizens who are not permitted to worship their God according to their own beliefs and convictions suffer the consequences of long-term imprisonment and loss of civil rights as a result of their faith.