24-Year Prison Sentence Handed Down to Christian Citizens “Mehdi Rahimi” and “Kia Nourinia”
Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia, Christian citizens, have been sentenced to a combined 24 years in prison.
Mehdi Rahimi, 49, and Kia Nourinia, 56, Christian citizens residing in Tabriz, have been sentenced by Judge Hassan Fath-nejad, head of the third branch of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, to a combined 24 years of imprisonment, a fine of over two billion tomans, and a 15-year ban from social rights for each person.
The 15-year deprivation of social rights for each of these citizens creates economic pressure on them and deprives them of other rights, including employment in government and private institutions such as organizations, companies, armed forces, the state broadcasting organization, municipalities, and other public service institutions.
In recent years, security agents have raided the homes of Christians and house churches, and while searching their homes, have confiscated personal items including mobile phones, laptops, and Persian Bibles, using them as evidence of crimes against Christians. Recently, these raids have been conducted as part of a widespread and systematic operation against Christians in various cities.
The charges brought against Christian citizens Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia are “propaganda against the system by promoting the deviant ideology of Zionist Christianity” and “smuggling of prohibited goods.” In his ruling against these two Christian citizens, Judge Fath-nejad cited the discovery of Bibles and other Christian-related books as prohibited goods, describing them as deviant and heretical.
The sentence against Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia was issued on April 16, 2025 (27 Farvardin 1404) by the aforementioned court without the presence of the defendants or consideration of their defense, but was only recently communicated to them.
According to statements made by Mehdi Rahimi in an interview with Article 18, agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Tabriz raided his home on November 3, 2024 (12 Aban 1403) and confiscated several copies of the Bible, New Testament, and other Christian-related materials. The raid took place while he was traveling outside the country, and the sentence was issued in absentia.
In addition to the aforementioned sentences, the Tabriz Revolutionary Court has ordered the confiscation of their personal items, including mobile phones and tablets, in favor of the Ministry of Intelligence for use in “research and educational activities at specialized conferences,” which bears resemblance to theft and confiscation of Christians’ property for the benefit of the state.
Beyond these sentences, an additional two-year prison sentence has been imposed for possession of Bibles, and they are also required to pay a fine equal to ten times the estimated value of the confiscated books. However, no explanation has been provided regarding the basis for this valuation.
According to information obtained by Article 18, these raids were part of a widespread operation against Christians conducted simultaneously in the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Bandar Abbas, and Tabriz.
