Arrest of Christian Converts ‘Behnam Arsali’ and ‘Davoud Rasuli’ in Mashhad and Karaj

According to received reports, in recent days, the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Republic have summoned or arrested a number of believers in Mashhad, Karaj, and northern cities of the country.

Behnam Arsali, a Christian convert residing in Karaj who had traveled to Mashhad, was arrested on Friday, November 16, 2018 at the home of one of his friends by security forces and transferred to an unknown location.

The security officers, six in plain clothes with one being a woman, entered the residence without presenting any legal warrant and took Behnam along with another person who was present at the location, but the second person was released hours later.

Christian convert Behnam Arsali was a former member of the Church of God’s Community in Tehran and had been dismissed from his workplace years earlier because of his Christian faith.

Simultaneously, ‘Davoud Rasuli’, known among believers as ‘David’, was also arrested on Friday, November 16, 2018 at 6 AM in front of his home in Karaj by two plainclothes officers and transferred to an unknown location. Informed sources report, citing the family of this Christian convert, that the officers returned to the house with him two hours later and began searching and inspecting the residence, during which the officers took some of his books and personal belongings.

Davoud Rasuli was planning to travel to Mashhad at the time of his arrest, and it appears that the intelligence officers had monitored their communications and identified them in advance.

 

Since the arrest of these two Christian converts, these individuals have had no contact with their families or relatives, and no information about the reason for their arrest or their place of detention is currently available.

Source: Mohsen Gharami