Hana Ghalami Granted Pardon; Released After Conviction for Attending Home Church
Hana (Zahra) Ghalami, a Christian citizen, has been exempted from serving the remainder of her two-year prison sentence after enduring approximately half of her conviction. This case once again raises questions about the Islamic Republic’s security and judicial treatment of peaceful religious activities.
On October 2, 2026, 36-year-old Christian citizen Hana (Zahra) Ghalami was informed that she had been granted a pardon under a general amnesty for prisoners and would no longer need to serve the remainder of her two-year sentence. The news of this pardon was announced by the organization “Article 18” in a report released on October 16.
Ghalami was arrested in December 2023 on the eve of Christmas during a security forces raid on a home church in Shahr-e Ray, near Tehran. After approximately two months of detention in Evin Prison, she was released on bail. However, in July 2024, she was sentenced to two years in prison on charges of “forming and membership in a group or association aimed at undermining national security.” These charges were related to her presence and activities at the home church.
Her request for reconsideration and appeal for retrial were also rejected, and Ghalami ultimately returned to prison in November 2025 to serve her sentence. Prior to the pardon, she had served approximately half of her sentence, including her initial period of detention.
In recent months, this Christian citizen spent four months on medical leave outside prison. In August 2026, she was informed that she could serve the remainder of her sentence under “open prison” status, meaning she would go daily to a state factory for work instead of remaining in prison. However, before this arrangement could continue, news of her pardon was announced.
In July 2024, Ghalami was sentenced along with three other Christian citizens: Daniel Mohammadi, who will turn 67 next month; Kourosh Hosseini, an Afghan refugee approximately 45 years old; and another Christian citizen whose identity has not been publicly disclosed.
The release of Hana Ghalami is encouraging news, but the fundamental question remains: why should attending a home church and engaging in peaceful religious activities result in security charges and imprisonment? The pardon of one prisoner cannot alone answer this question or erase the consequences of arrest, trial, and deprivation of freedom.
The right to freedom of religion and conscience should be respected for all citizens, regardless of their beliefs and religious choices. Ghalami’s release ends her period of imprisonment, but as long as peaceful religious activities are met with security charges, concerns about the state of religious freedom in Iran will remain serious.
