Anoushavan Avetisyan Acquitted of ‘Actions Against National Security’ Charges and Ordered Released Immediately
An appeals court has issued an immediate release order for Anoushavan Avetisyan and acquitted him of charges of “actions against national security.”
On April 12, 2022, Tehran’s Revolutionary Court convicted Anoushavan Avetisyan, an Armenian citizen, to ten years imprisonment and deprivation of social rights for “forming or managing an illegal group with the aim of disrupting national security through educational and propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” despite his peaceful religious activities. Eventually, on September 18, 2023, Mr. Avetisyan began serving his ten-year sentence at Evin Prison.
The request for retrial filed by Anoushavan Avetisyan, Maryam Mohammadi, and Abbas Souri, who shared the same case file, was rejected on June 26, 2022, by Branch 26 of Iran’s Supreme Court. Iman Soleimani, the defense attorney for Anoushavan Avetisyan and Abbas Souri, stated that Branch 26 of the Supreme Court rejected their retrial request without any justification and without considering their previous defense arguments.
Mr. Avetisyan’s arrest and imprisonment occurred at a time when the Islamic Republic of Iran has repeatedly claimed that Christians in Iran—namely Armenians and Assyrians—enjoy religious freedom and the right to perform religious ceremonies. However, contrary to the government’s claims, when many of these Christians share their Christian faith with other Persian-speaking Christians or engage in worship together, they face severe suppression by the government. Hakop Kochomiants is one of the Armenian Christian citizens who is currently serving his ten-year sentence at Evin Prison.
In March 2021, Iran’s Supreme Court also acquitted nine Christian citizens living in Rasht and Anzali of charges of “actions against national security” and ruled that propagating Christianity and establishing house churches are neither crimes nor conspiracy to disrupt national security.
Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, Branch 34 of Tehran’s Appeals Court also confirmed the acquittal and release order for these imprisoned citizens, stating: “There are insufficient religious grounds and insufficient evidence of crime for the conviction of these believers who were only engaged in worship and praise.”
According to reports, on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, Branch 21 of Tehran’s Appeals Court acquitted Anoushavan Avetisyan, a Christian prisoner at Evin Prison, of charges of “actions against national security” in confirmation of the Supreme Court’s ruling, and ordered his immediate release.
However, despite this ruling, the arrest and imprisonment of Christians for their Christian faith and peaceful religious activities by the Islamic Republic of Iran continues unabated.
