Suppression and Violation of Religious Minorities’ Rights in Iran; Christian Convert Sentenced to Prison and Flogging
Mary Mohammadi, a Christian convert in Iran, has been sentenced to three months and one day in prison and 10 lashes by the Criminal Court of Tehran Province.
According to “Article 18 Organization,” this Christian convert was sentenced on Tuesday, May 22nd, by Branch 1167 of the Tehran Province Criminal Court to three months and one day in prison and ten lashes on charges of “disrupting public order and peace through participation in an illegal gathering.”
According to this report, the prison and flogging sentence issued for Mary Mohammadi on the aforementioned charges was due to her presence in gatherings in December 2019 during public protests against the crash of the Ukrainian airliner, and this sentence is currently suspended for one year.
Ms. Mohammadi, in an interview with “Article 18 Organization,” noting that before the sentence was issued, she and her family endured various forms of torture during this period, stated that there was no evidence in her case supporting the charges against her, and that according to Islamic Republic law, she should have been acquitted of this charge rather than sentenced to flogging and imprisonment.
Furthermore, based on available information, the judge in the case, despite the charges against this Christian convert having no connection to Christianity, raised questions during the court session regarding her Christian beliefs and the reasons for her conversion to Christianity.
Mary (Fatima) Mohammadi was arrested on Sunday, December 12th, near Azadi Square in Tehran by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps during protests over the Ukrainian airliner crash in Tehran, and after some time, on Wednesday, February 26th, she was temporarily released from Qarchak Prison in Varamin on a 30 million toman bail pending the completion of her trial.
Following the arrest of this Christian convert, U.S. President Donald Trump, on Thursday, February 6th, 2020, during the “National Prayer Breakfast” and in his speech about instances of suppression of religious freedoms in the world, referred to the detention and imprisonment of Mary Mohammadi in Iran and said she “was arrested and imprisoned for converting to Christianity and sharing the Gospel with others.”
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had also previously stated in a radio interview that as long as the Islamic Republic tramples on Iranians’ right to choose their religion, the United States will continue its criticisms and will do everything to hold the regime accountable.
Source: Voice of America
