“May Sattar”: Islamic Republic Responded to Only One of Eight Correspondences About Christians
May Sattar, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, stated that the authorities of the Islamic Republic have responded to only one of eight formal correspondences from UN experts regarding the situation of Christians since 2011; a response in which Persian-speaking Christian citizens who have changed their religion are introduced as “a threat to national security.” Sattar also considered the confiscation of the Saint Peter Evangelical Church in Tehran and the expulsion of Armenian and Assyrian residents as part of a broader process of restricting religious freedom in Iran.
May Sattar, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, discussed various dimensions of pressure on Iran’s Christian community in an interview with the human rights organization “Article 18,” limitations of his mandate, and security-oriented approaches to religious activities. This conversation presents a picture of the gap between Iran’s international commitments and the conduct of state bodies regarding freedom of religion and belief.
According to Sattar, eight formal correspondences from UN experts regarding the situation of Christians in Iran have been registered in the UN database since 2011. Seven correspondences pertained to the arrest and prosecution of Christians, mostly Persian-speaking citizens who had converted religions, and the eighth correspondence concerned the confiscation of the premises of the Saint Peter Evangelical Church in Tehran and the expulsion of Armenian and Assyrian residents.
Sattar emphasized that the authorities of the Islamic Republic responded only to the 2020 correspondence. In that response, the government attempted to justify its treatment of Christians not because of their beliefs and religious activities, but by framing it as security-related charges and propaganda against the government. According to the special rapporteur, in this response, Persian-speaking Christian citizens were introduced as a threat to national security.
According to Sattar, this response exemplifies an approach in which normal religious activities, including gatherings in homes for worship, Bible study, and distribution of Christian texts, are framed as security-related charges. He explained that in some cases, behaviors that have a religious nature are pursued under designations such as “propaganda against the system” or crimes related to national security.
Another section of the interview focused on the confiscation of the premises of the Saint Peter Evangelical Church in Tehran; a historic site that, in addition to the church building, included residential homes, two schools, and offices related to Christian activities.
According to a report by UN experts, 27 members of Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities residing in this complex were evicted from their homes. Approximately 20 families, many of whom had lived in this compound for years, were given only two weeks to vacate their homes. UN experts also stated that church leaders faced threats of arrest if they did not comply with the evacuation order.
This complex was transferred to the “Headquarters for the Implementation of the Imam’s Directive” in July 2026, implementing a ruling issued by the Revolutionary Court in 1998. UN Special Rapporteurs May Sattar and Nazila Ghanea, in response to this action, called for the return of the complex and the possibility for residents and church members to return.
Sattar considered this case unique in that, unlike most previous correspondences about converted Christian citizens, this time members of two officially recognized Christian communities under the constitution also became targets of the consequences of a government action. Thus, even the official recognition of Armenians and Assyrians did not prevent them from being deprived of their homes and places of worship.
One of the important points raised in this discussion was the difference in the government’s treatment of historic Christian communities and Persian-speaking Christian citizens. The authorities of the Islamic Republic generally recognize Armenians and Assyrians as official religious minorities; however, the activities of Persian-language churches and gatherings of Christians face limitations and security-oriented treatment.
Sattar, referring to cases mentioned in UN correspondences, stated that in some instances, activities such as participation in house church meetings or distribution of Bibles have been introduced in court cases as behaviors related to national security. He also pointed to examples in which travel abroad to participate in church activities has served as a pretext for bringing espionage charges against an individual.
UN experts in their statement of July 15, 2026 regarding the Saint Peter Church also stated that freedom of religion and belief is not limited to personal belief; rather, it includes the right to collective worship, conducting ceremonies in one’s own language, and preserving religious sites. They considered the confiscation of the church and the expulsion of its residents inconsistent with Iran’s human rights obligations.
May Sattar, in explaining the limitations of his mandate, stated that the authorities of the Islamic Republic do not recognize the legitimacy of the mandate of the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran, and since the revival of this mandate in 2011, it has not been possible for special rapporteurs in this field to travel to Iran. For this reason, he is compelled to gather necessary information through contact with civil society, human rights organizations, families of victims, and meetings with Iranians in other countries.
He identified four main instruments of his mandate as preparing periodic reports, sending formal correspondences to governments, issuing public statements, and documenting cases of human rights violations. Sattar nevertheless emphasized that this mandate has no executive authority or power to compel governments to change their behavior.
According to him, the value of this documentation lies in recording the narrative of victims and their families alongside the government’s official narrative and preserving evidence for accountability mechanisms in the future. Sattar also stated that given wars, protests, and waves of executions, much of his attention in recent months has been directed toward the right to life and the situation of political prisoners facing execution, but religious freedom is also an inseparable part of human rights.
The statements of the UN special rapporteur once again highlight the gap between the formal recognition of religious minorities in the laws of the Islamic Republic and the actual possibility of enjoying freedom of religion and belief. When worship in homes, Bible study, activities of Persian-language churches, or preservation of a historic religious site are accompanied by security cases, arrest, confiscation, and expulsion, one cannot speak of the existence of actual religious freedom.
Restricting religious activities to frameworks approved by the government, depriving citizens of worship in their mother tongue, and legal action against peaceful gatherings target not only the rights of Christian citizens, but the very principle of freedom of conscience and belief. The confiscation of the Saint Peter Church also demonstrates that even officially recognized religious communities are not immune to the consequences of these policies.
The failure to respond to seven of eight formal UN correspondences, coupled with the 2020 response that justified Christian activities with the label of a threat to national security, poses a serious question to the authorities of the Islamic Republic: if worship, Bible study, and peaceful gatherings are not security crimes, why does the government pursue them within the framework of security cases instead of guaranteeing the freedom of these activities?
Freedom of religion and belief is not a privilege that governments grant to or withdraw from citizens at their discretion; it is a fundamental right that must be guaranteed for all, regardless of family background, language, and type of belief.
