Summoning of Behnam Ikhlaqi and Babak Hosseinzadeh, Christian Believers to Evin Prosecutor’s Office
Hrana News Agency – Behnam Ikhlaqi and Babak Hosseinzadeh, Christian believers, were summoned on Wednesday, the 20th of Bahman, through a notice to Branch 3 of the Investigation Department of Evin Prosecutor’s Office. The summoning of these citizens was due to a new case that has been opened against them.
According to a report by Hrana News Agency, the news organization of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Network, Behnam Ikhlaqi and Babak Hosseinzadeh were summoned to Evin Prosecutor’s Office through a notice.
According to this notice, which was delivered to these citizens on Wednesday, the 20th of Bahman, they have been asked to appear within 5 days for their defense regarding the alleged charges in Branch 3 of the Investigation Department of Evin Prosecutor’s Office.
Babak Hosseinzadeh and Behnam Ikhlaqi were arrested on the 4th of Esfand 1397 during a home church gathering in the city of Rasht. Mr. Ikhlaqi’s residence was searched following his arrest by officials, and they seized some of his personal belongings and took them away. According to an informed source, security forces during the search of Mr. Ikhlaqi’s residence damaged or destroyed symbols related to Christianity.
Babak Hosseinzadeh and Behnam Ikhlaqi were transferred from a security institution’s detention facility to prison after 12 days and were held in prison for 11 days without observing the separation of crimes principle. Finally, on the 27th of Esfand 1397, they were temporarily released pending the completion of legal proceedings by posting a bail of 150 million tomans.
On the 2nd of Mordad 1398, the first court hearing to examine the charges against these citizens was held in Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court under the presidency of Judge Mohammad Moghisseh. During this session, the bail amount for these citizens was increased to one billion and five hundred million tomans, and due to financial inability to pay the bail, they were arrested and transferred to Ward 4 of Evin Prison.
Finally, each of these citizens was sentenced to 5 years of imprisonment on the charge of “action against national security through forming a home church and promoting evangelical and Zionist Christianity.” This sentence was ultimately confirmed in Khordad 1399 by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals under the presidency of Judge Seyyed Ahmad Zargar.
In the verdict of the examining panel in Branch 28 of the Supreme Court of Iran, under the presidency of Seyyed Ali Izpanah Shehri, their request for retrial was accepted, and it was stated that “mere domestic promotion of Christianity and promotion of evangelical Zionist denomination, which apparently both refer to the promotion of Christianity through holding family (home) gatherings, does not show any intent to disturb the security of the country, whether internal or external, and does not fall under the formation of associations and groups under Articles 498 and 499 of the Islamic Penal Code of 1375 and other criminal laws, and promoting Christianity and forming a home church have not been criminalized in the laws.”
Behnam Ikhlaqi and Babak Hosseinzadeh, along with a number of other Christian believers, were temporarily released from Evin Prison in Dey of the current year by posting bail.
The Supreme Court, while accepting the retrial request, referred their case to a peer branch for re-examination.
The court hearing to examine the charges against these citizens was held in Esfand of the current year in Branch 34 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
It should be noted that although Christians are officially recognized as a religious minority under the law, security agencies pursue the issue of Muslims converting to Christianity with special sensitivity and deal forcefully with activists in this field.
The treatment of Christian believers 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 conscience and the right to change religion, as well as the freedom to manifest it individually or collectively, publicly or in private.
Source: Hrana
