Nineteenth Statement by Human Rights Organizations Regarding the Persecution of Christian Converts in Iran
Nineteen human rights organizations have issued a statement calling on the Islamic Republic regime to end the persecution of Christian converts.
Following the Islamic Republic's continued human rights violations in Iran, nineteen human rights organizations have called on the country's regime to end the persecution of Christian converts in the country, as the signatories of the statement say that "pressure on the Christian convert community in Iran has reached its highest level in recent months."
The human rights organizations that signed the statement stated that “Iranian authorities are pressuring Christian community leaders through direct threats or deliberate harassment to force them to leave their country, with a number of house church leaders being told during interrogation that they will be sentenced to 5 to 10 years in prison unless they leave the country.”
According to the Human Rights Activists in Iran news agency, the statement further added: "Christians have admitted that their daily summons to the intelligence offices for questioning and answering have become a harassing practice. Also, agents confiscate the identification documents of Christian converts, prevent them from buying and selling real estate or cars, or harass them by forcing them to leave their jobs."
The statement also states: "Security agents arrested 79 Christians in various regions of Iran between May and August 2016," the vast majority of whom were under continuous interrogation or detained for periods ranging from a few days to a month.
According to this report, some of those arrested are still being held without any specific charges, and human rights organizations believe that the number of detainees could be higher than this figure, as some arrests have not been reported.
The authors of the statement further added that "this type of treatment of Christians and converts is a clear violation of the Iranian constitution and the international obligations of the Iranian government."
It is worth noting that the signatories of this statement have called on the international community, as well as the Iranian government, to pay attention to the violations of the rights of visible minorities. They have called on the UN Secretary-General and the Rapporteur on Freedom of Religions, as well as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, in accordance with their responsibilities and duties, to monitor the situation of religious freedom in Iran and to report the results fully to the UN members.
It is worth noting that the Islamic Republic regime banned the conversion of Muslims by attending the “official church” in 2012. Therefore, Christian converts have been forced to gather in unofficial groups such as “house churches,” as these gatherings are considered illegal and are often raided by security forces.
Also, officials and members of house churches are mainly faced with charges such as "acting against national security by setting up house churches." In this regard, we can point to a group of Christian converts who were arrested in Rasht in May 2016 on charges of "acting against national security," and their sentences have been suspended since they were announced.
Source: The Times of Israel
