Statement of protest by Christian believers against the violation of their employment rights in Iran

Some Christian believers, in a statement, point out that "the Islamic Republic has deprived Persian-speaking Christians of the right to work and employment," and say that this policy is being implemented with the aim of "disabling and eliminating" the Christian community.

The statement emphasized that Persian-speaking Christians have faced targeted threats over the past four decades, such as "serial murders, executions, imprisonment, and the destruction, sealing, and confiscation of churches and real estate," and have also been deprived of "human, civil, social, cultural, and economic rights."

Christian believers have described the Islamic Republic's behavior as violating the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and have written that the government sometimes "encroaches on people's tables and steals their bread to save their lives" in order to overthrow them.

Although the Constitution of the Islamic Republic recognizes Christianity, in recent years, Islamic Republic authorities have imposed extensive restrictions on religious minorities and the propagation of religions and sects other than Shia in Iran.

In a report published in early February 2017, several human rights organizations reported on "punishments for faith" and continued "widespread violations" of the rights of the Iranian Christian community, despite "denial" by the Islamic Republic's authorities.

Javed Rehman, the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, reported in February 2021 that at least 53 Iranian Christians had been arrested last year.

Source: Radio Farda