Arrest of Christian Believer upon Return to Iran; New Dimensions of a Joint Case
Mehran Shamlou, a Christian believer who was previously sentenced to a lengthy prison term, was arrested by security forces on Friday, July 4th, upon arrival at Mashhad airport.
His arrest comes as further details of his joint case with two other believers named Narges Nasri and Abbas Suri have been released.
According to human rights sources, Mr. Shamlou was immediately transferred to one of the security detention centers in Mashhad following his arrest. He is scheduled to be transferred to Tehran on Monday by order of the judicial authorities to begin serving his prison sentence.
These three Christian believers were sentenced in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to charges including “missionary activities contrary to Islamic law,” “membership in opposition groups,” and “propaganda against the system,” totaling more than 41 years of imprisonment. Mr. Shamlou’s sentence includes 10 years and 8 months in prison, payment of a monetary fine, and 11 years of deprivation of social rights. This sentence was confirmed on March 23rd of the current year by Branch 36 of the Tehran Province Appeals Court.
Reports indicate that the initial arrest of these individuals took place in November of last year during a coordinated operation in Tehran, and they were temporarily released on bail after interrogation in Ward 209 of Evin Prison.
The issuance of these severe sentences and the re-arrest of Mr. Shamlou have drawn widespread reactions from human rights organizations and increased concerns regarding the state of religious freedoms in Iran.
