Three Christian Citizens Sentenced to Imprisonment, Fines, and Social Restrictions
Hrana News Agency – The Tehran Revolutionary Court has sentenced Anooshavan Aoudian, a Christian citizen, to 10 years of imprisonment, payment of a fine, and deprivation of social rights. According to this ruling, two other Christian citizens, Abbas Souri and Maryam Mohammadi, have also been sentenced to pay a fine of 50 million tomans and various long-term social deprivations.
According to Hrana News Agency, the news organ of the Iran Human Rights Activists Network, the ruling of the Tehran Revolutionary Court against Anooshavan Aoudian, Abbas Souri, and Maryam Mohammadi has been issued and communicated.
According to the ruling issued and communicated by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Iman Afshari, Anooshavan Aoudian was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and deprivation of social rights for 10 years, as well as payment of a fine. Furthermore, according to this judicial order, Abbas Souri and Maryam Mohammadi were sentenced to 10 years of deprivation of social rights and payment of a grade 5 fine to the state fund valued at 50 million tomans, prohibition of membership in political groups and organizations, prohibition from leaving the country, and seasonal registration with the case monitoring office, as well as prohibition of residence in Tehran Province and its adjacent provinces for 2 years.
The charges against these citizens are described as “forming and managing an association under the name of a home church of Zionist evangelical Christianity with the aim of undermining the country’s security” and “maintaining satellite reception equipment.”
Iman Soleimani, the defense lawyer for Abbas Mohammadi and Anooshavan Aoudian, stated to Hrana in this regard: “This ruling was issued while no attention was given to the defense arguments and they were completely disregarded. Upon examining the issued ruling, we will find that what appears in the investigators’ proceedings was issued identically as the ruling.”
Previously, the indictments of Anooshavan Aoudian and Abbas Souri were issued by Branch 3 of the Investigation Section of the Evin Security Prosecutor’s Office.
It should be noted that although according to law Christians are recognized as a religious minority, security agencies pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with particular sensitivity and deal coercively with activists in this field.
The treatment of Christians in Iran is occurring while according to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, every person has the right to freedom of religion and the right to change religion, with belief, as well as freedom to express it individually or collectively, and publicly or in private.
Source: Hrana
