Trial of Four Iranian Christian Activists on Charges of Promoting Christianity!
Four Iranian Christian activists summoned to court on charges of promoting Christianity!
Four Christian activists named Amin Khaki, Hossein Barun Zadeh (Daniel), Mohammad Bahrami, and Rahman Bahmani (Zia) were summoned to court on Monday, February 12, 1394 (February 1, 2016) on charges of promoting Christianity.
These individuals, on Wednesday, March 5, 1392, had gone for recreation to the outskirts of Shush city accompanied by four others named Hossein Etemadi Far (Jonathan), Salimeh Rahimi (Martha), Fatimeh Bagheri, and Amineh Moalla. They were detained by security forces who arrived with three vehicles and a minibus at the location where these individuals were recreating. The warrant presented by security forces had only the names of Amin Khaki and Hossein Barun Zadeh written on it. The reason for detention was stated as promoting Christianity.
After some time, Hossein Etemadi Far (Jonathan), Salimeh Rahimi (Martha), Fatimeh Bagheri, and Amineh Moalla were released. Hossein Barun Zadeh (Daniel), Mohammad Bahrami, and Rahman Bahmani (Zia) were transferred to the security ward of Karun Prison, hall number 8.
After that, Amin Khaki, following a prolonged detention at the Ministry of Intelligence News Center in Ahvaz city and severe beatings whose marks were visible on his body, was transferred on Wednesday, May 7, 1393, to Karun Prison in Ahvaz. After enduring approximately 10 months of imprisonment, he was released on bail on December 4 of last year.
Meanwhile, Iran is recognized in the annual list of the Open Doors organization (OpenDoors) as the ninth most Christian-persecuting country in the world last year. Christian believers in Iran constantly face accusations such as actions against national security, propaganda against the regime, and apostasy, which are punishable by lengthy imprisonments or death sentences that are often reduced to lengthy imprisonments in appeals court.
Iran’s placement on the red line of the list published by the Open Doors organization demonstrates the endless harassment and persecution of Christians. Despite Hassan Rouhani’s promises before the presidential election regarding the rights of religious minorities, the situation in Iran has not only remained unchanged but has worsened.
Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which the Iranian government is also one of the countries committed to implementing, states that everyone has the right to freedom of thought and religion; this right includes freedom of thought, change of religion, and freedom to publicly practice one’s religion and express opinion, whether alone, collectively, or in agreement with others, in the form of teaching, practice of rites, worship, and observance of it in public or private settings.
Nevertheless, the Islamic Republic continues to refrain from implementing what it has committed to, and religious minorities in Iran continue to face harassment and persecution. It is evident that the Iranian government, disregarding its commitments, has turned the country’s laws into a mandatory single-religion law of Shiite Islam, granting all rights and protections exclusively to Shiite Islamic worship. The violation of rights of Christians, Bahá’ís, Jews, and Sunni Muslims by radical Shiite Muslim elements is entirely under the protection of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, Ali Khamenei.
