“Alireza and Amir Nourmohammadi” Accused of Propaganda Against Islam
Alireza and Amir Nourmohammadi, members of a house church in Karaj, have been accused of propaganda against Islam.
On December 11, 2023 (20 Azar 1402), agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided a shop and two houses belonging to Christians in Karaj and arrested four Christian citizens named Alireza and Amir Nourmohammadi, Milad Goodarzi, and a person named Daniel.
Milad Goodarzi, a former prisoner of conscience, and Daniel were released after interrogation, but the Nourmohammadi brothers spent more than a month in detention. Twenty days ago, on January 10, they were released from prison on a bail of 150 million tomans, but according to reports published on social networks, they have been accused of “educational activity and deviant propaganda contrary to the sacred principles of Islam by presenting false and baseless claims in religious and theological spheres.” The charge against these two brothers is based on amendments made to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code.
According to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, “the commission of any activity, teaching, or other deviant propaganda contrary to or detrimental to the sacred principles of Islam in the real or virtual space, or the creation of psychological and physical dominance over human beings under the guise of a sect or any other organized criminal group, is considered a crime.”
The United Nations Human Rights Committee called on the Islamic Republic government in October 2023 to change or abolish the amendments to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, which is used to further suppress minorities, particularly Christian citizens.
The United Nations also issued a recent resolution regarding human rights violations by the Iranian government, calling on the Islamic Republic authorities to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on thought, conscience, religion, or belief, including the restrictions of Articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, in both law and practice.
According to “Article 18,” recently several families who attended a house church in Karaj were summoned and interrogated due to their Christian beliefs and activities. The harassment of Christian citizens, which had intensified around Christmas, has worsened in recent weeks and since the start of the new year.
Mina Khajavi is another Christian citizen who was arrested due to his beliefs and convictions. He was released from prison in recent weeks for medical treatment, but despite his illness and his ongoing treatment, he was forced to return to Evin Prison to serve his sentence.
