Referral of the case of three Christian citizens to Tehran Revolutionary Court
HRANA News Agency – The case of three Christian citizens, Joseph Shahbazian, Somayeh (Sonia) Sadegh, and Mina Khajoo Qomi, was referred to Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court after the indictment was issued.
According to HRANA News Agency, the news agency of the Human Rights Activists in Iran, an indictment was issued against Joseph Shahbazian, a former member of the Tehran Congregational Church, Somayeh (Sonia) Sadegh, and Mina Khajoui, and their case was referred to Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
The charges against these individuals are "forming a group with the aim of disrupting the country's security, acting against national security by preaching missionary Christianity, and forming a house church . "
Among them, Joseph Shahbazian, a 57-year-old citizen of Armenian descent, was arrested in July 2020 along with a number of Christians at a religious ceremony in the Yaftabad area of Tehran. In August 2020, he was temporarily released on bail of two billion tomans. Somayeh Sadeq and Mina Khajou Qomi were also among the detainees who were temporarily released on bail.
Earlier, Iman Soleimani, the lawyer defending these three Christian citizens, said that "despite repeated requests and orders from the investigator of Branch 3 of the Evin Security Court, the bailiffs are refusing to implement the order of the case's prosecutor, refusing to hand over the personal belongings and even the belongings of his clients' families, such as phones, laptops, and other items. Joseph Shahbazian's passport has also been confiscated by the bailiffs."
Source: HRANA
