Statement by Nineteen Human Rights Organizations Regarding Persecution of Christian Converts in Iran
Nineteen human rights organizations have issued a statement calling on the Islamic Republic regime to end the harassment and persecution of Christian converts.
Following the continued violation of human rights by the Islamic Republic in Iran, nineteen human rights organizations have called on the country’s regime to put an end to the harassment and persecution of Christian converts in the nation, as the signatories of this statement assert that “pressure on the Christian convert community in Iran has reached its peak in recent months.”
The human rights organizations signing this statement have declared that “Iranian authorities, by pressuring Christian community leaders through direct threats or deliberate harassment, are forcing them to leave the country in such a way that some home church leaders have been told during interrogations that they will face sentences of 5 to 10 years in prison unless they leave the country.”
According to a report by the Iran Human Rights Activists News Agency, the statement continues: “Christians have acknowledged that their daily summons for questioning at information offices has become a harrowing routine. Furthermore, security officials, by confiscating identification documents and records of Christian converts, prevent them from buying and selling properties or vehicles, or subject them to harassment by forcing them to abandon their jobs.”
The statement also states: “Security officials arrested 79 Christians between Ordibehesht and Mordad 1395 in various regions of Iran, the vast majority of whom were subjected to continuous interrogation for periods ranging from several days to one month, or were held in detention.”
According to this report, some of those detained remain in custody without any specific charges, and human rights organizations believe the actual number of detainees may be higher, as some detentions have not been reported.
The authors of the aforementioned statement further added that “this type of treatment toward Christians and converts is a clear violation of Iran’s constitution and the Iranian government’s international obligations.”
It should be noted that the signatories of this statement have called for the attention of the international community and the Iranian government to cases of minority rights violations. They have requested from the UN Secretary-General and the rapporteur on freedom of religion, as well as the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, to monitor the state of religious freedom in Iran in light of their responsibilities and duties, and to fully report the findings to UN member states.
It is worth mentioning that the Islamic Republic regime prohibited Muslim-born converts from changing their religion by participating in “official churches” in 2012. Consequently, Christian converts have been forced to gather in informal groups such as “house churches,” as these gatherings are considered illegal and are frequently raided by security forces.
Likewise, leaders and members of house churches are primarily faced with charges such as “action against national security through establishing house churches.” In this regard, one can point to a group of Christian converts who were detained in Rasht in May 2016 on charges of “action against national security,” and their sentence remains suspended since its announcement.
Source: Times of Israel
