Case of Three Christian Citizens Referred to Tehran Revolutionary Court
Hrana News Agency – The case of three Christian citizens named Joseph Shahbazian, Samiyeh (Sonya) Sadegh, and Mina Khajavi Qomi has been referred to Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court following the issuance of an indictment.
According to Hrana News Agency, the news outlet of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Network, indictments have been issued for Joseph Shahbazian, a former member of the Congregational Church of the Lord (Jame’eh Rabbani) in Tehran, Samiyeh (Sonya) Sadegh, and Mina Khajavi, and their case has been referred to Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
The charges against these individuals are described as “forming a group with the aim of threatening national security, acting against national security through the propagation of evangelical Christianity and the establishment of house churches”.
Among them, Joseph Shahbazian, a 57-year-old Armenian citizen, was arrested in June 2020 along with a number of Christians during a religious ceremony in the Yaft Abad area of Tehran. In August 2020, he was temporarily released on a bail of two billion tomans. Samiyeh Sadegh and Mina Khajavi Qomi were also among those detained who were temporarily released on bail.
Earlier, Iman Soleimani, the defense lawyer for these three Christian citizens, had stated that “despite repeated follow-ups and orders from the prosecutor of Branch 3 of the Evin Security Court, the case officers have been refusing to execute the prosecutor’s orders and are withholding the return of the clients’ personal belongings and even family items such as mobile phones, laptops, and other items. Additionally, Joseph Shahbazian’s passport has been confiscated by the enforcement officers”.
Source: Hrana
