50-year prison sentences for five Iranian Christian citizens confirmed
A Christian couple who were sentenced to a total of 15 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court left Iran before the sentence was carried out.
According to the "Organization 18" website, which covers news related to minority rights, the Court of Appeals recently upheld the sentences of Pastor Victor Bettemers and his wife Shamiram Issavi, who were sentenced to 10 and five years in prison, respectively.
The two were charged with "missionary activity" and "acting against national security by forming and running house churches."
The case also involved three other citizens who converted to Christianity: Hadi Asgari and Kavian Fallah Mohammadi, each sentenced to 10 years in prison, and Amin Afshar Naderi to 15 years in prison. The sentences of these three individuals were also upheld by the Court of Appeal.
The case of Victor Bettemers and his wife Shamiram Issavi dates back three years, and their sentence was recently upheld by the Court of Appeals. On August 12, they were issued a summons to report to prison within five days, but they left Iran before the sentence was carried out.
Dobrina Bettemers, the daughter of this Christian couple, says her father was in solitary confinement for 65 days and spent another two months in prison.
Mansour Borji, director of the "Article 18" organization, which is active in the field of minority rights, said that Iranian judicial authorities are "criminalizing" "activities that are not criminalized in law."
Over the past years, human rights organizations have repeatedly called for a fair hearing of the cases of these citizens.
In February 2017, four independent UN human rights rapporteurs warned of "severe discrimination" against religious minorities in Iran and called on Iranian authorities to guarantee the fairness of the trial of Christian citizens.
In the constitution of the Islamic Republic, only followers of the three religions of Judaism, Zoroastrianism, and Christianity are recognized as religious minorities, but neither this group of Iranian citizens, nor even Sunnis, nor followers of other religions, such as Baha'is, enjoy complete freedom to practice their religious rituals.
The Islamic Republic specifically deals with groups that preach and promote Christianity, and every year, cases are brought to the Iranian judicial system's attention, most of which result in long-term imprisonment.
Source: Radio Farda
