Six Christian converts arrested in Rasht
Six Christian converts were arrested in the city of Rasht in February. Bishop Behrouz Khanjani announced the news to Deutsche Welle, telling them that Yousef Nadarkhani had also been taken to Evin Prison to serve a 10-year sentence.
Six Christian converts were arrested in the city of Rasht from February 26 to February 27. Bishop Behrouz Khanjani told Deutsche Welle that in the latest case, last Friday, February 27, three ministers of the Rasht church, Mohammad Vafadar, Mohammad Eslamdoost, known as Shahroz, and Kamal Nomaniyan, were arrested during a house church meeting in Rasht.
Also, Ministry of Intelligence agents have threatened to arrest another convert named Fatemeh Pasandideh, known as Tina, and have asked her not to leave Gilan province.
Previously, on February 29 and 30, Hossein Kadivar and Khalil Pourdehghan were arrested in a house church, and Pastor Abdolreza Ali Haqnejad, known as Matthias, was arrested in his home.
According to Bishop Khanjani, last month, intelligence agents raided the home of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani and took him to Evin to serve his 10-year prison sentence. According to Khanjani, during the arrest, Nadarkhani's son was beaten and he himself was attacked with a taser.
In addition to Yousef Nadarkhani, three ministers of the Rasht church, Saheb Fadaei, Yaser Mosaybzadeh, and Mohammad Reza Omidi, have also been taken to Evin Prison to serve their 10-year prison sentences.
Who is Yousef Nadrakhani?
Born in 1978 in Rasht, Yousef Nadarkhani is the father of two children. He is the most famous imprisoned Iranian priest who converted from Islam to Christianity at the age of 19 and became the pastor of a small group of evangelical Christians called the “Church of Iran” in Gilan. He was arrested and imprisoned for conversion in 2009.
The Revolutionary Court of Gilan Province sentenced him to death in September 2010 on charges of “apostasy.” Nadarkhani’s death sentence was met with protests from the United States, European governments, and various human rights organizations.
Following international protests, Iran's Supreme Court overturned Nadarkhani's sentence in July 2011 on the condition that he repent and return to Islam. But Nadarkhani stood by his beliefs and refused to repent. He was released from prison in 2012.
In July 2017, however, it was announced that Nadarkhani had been sentenced to 10 years in prison and two years of exile to Sistan and Baluchestan.
Source: DW
