No Information on the Situation of Farrokh Kakayee, Christian Citizen
After several weeks without information about the situation of Farrokh Kakayee, a Christian citizen, concerns about his family’s well-being have intensified.
Farrokh Kakayee, 54, is a Kurd of Yarsan faith from Kermanshah and a resident of Karaj. On June 27, 2024, he was arrested at his home by four plainclothes Ministry of Intelligence agents who raided his house. During the search, they confiscated his mobile phone, laptop, external hard drive, and a framed picture of Jesus Christ, and transferred him to an unknown location.
After his arrest, Mr. Kakayee had two brief contacts with his family but expressed no knowledge of the location where he is being held or the charges against him. To date, no further news about him is available, and this lack of information about his whereabouts and the charges has caused deep concern for his wife and two children.
In the Constitution of the Islamic Republic, Armenian and Assyrian Christians, Zoroastrians, and Jews are recognized as religious minorities. However, Christians who have converted from Islam to Christianity or followers of the Yarsan faith are not recognized in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constitutional law.
For this reason, security agents of the regime have repeatedly raided the homes of Christians and home churches, confiscated their personal belongings, and sentenced them to heavy penalties. In many cases, their properties have been seized and confiscated. The pressure exerted by the Islamic Republic government on Christians, particularly those who have converted from Islam to Christianity, has continued from the past to the present, and intensifies with each passing day.
Some arrested Christians, in addition to facing serious charges and property confiscation, have also been sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Examples include Hakop Gukumyan, who was sentenced to ten years in prison, and Ismail Nariman-Pour, who was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by the judicial system.
