Arrest of a Christian convert in Karaj

Kiarash Alipour, spokesperson for the "Article 18 Organization for the Defense of Freedom of Religion and Belief in Iran," told Radio Farda, "On March 1, 2017, when Christian convert Aziz Majidzadeh was present at a workshop near Karaj where his friends worked, security agents stormed the workshop and arrested him and his other friends."

According to the Article 18 website, "In addition to arresting about 20 Christian citizens present, security officers also confiscated some of their personal belongings, including cell phones and laptops. After initial interrogations, most of the people arrested at that location were released, but Aziz Majidzadeh remains in detention. There is no information about his whereabouts so far."

In recent months, a number of evangelical Christians have been sentenced to long prison terms.

In many cases, these individuals were charged with "acting against national security by establishing and participating in house churches."

Mansour Borji, from the Article 18 organization, previously called these accusations "false" and indicative of the Islamic Republic's security approach towards religious minorities in an interview with Radio Farda.

Mr. Borji also said that the treatment of Christian converts is carried out for political purposes and that these treatments are contrary to legal standards.

Since the 2018 Iranian revolution, at least six church leaders have been killed in Iran, and hundreds of Christians have been interrogated and imprisoned. In addition, the printing of Christian Bibles in Persian has been banned, and some churches have been closed and Persian-language church services have been prevented.

Source: Radio Farda