Christian Citizen “Shahab Shahi” Accused of “Propaganda Against the System”
“Shahab Shahi,” a member of a home church in Karaj, has been accused of “propaganda against the system.”
According to a report by MEC, an international Christian organization, judicial authorities have accused a Christian citizen identified as Shahab Shahi, who was a member of a home church in Karaj, of “propaganda against the system.”
The aforementioned organization, which supports and advocates for persecuted Christians in more than 20 countries, announced in a report that on March 12, 2024, Mr. Shahi was ordered to present himself within 5 days to Branch 6 of the Karaj Revolutionary Court to address the charge of “propaganda against the system.” Following his court appearance, he is now awaiting a second court session and the issuance of a verdict.
Five years ago, Shahab Shahi was sentenced to 4 months in prison on the charge of propaganda against the system. He was again arrested in December 2023 along with “Milad Goodarzi,” “Alireza Noormohammadi,” and “Amir Noormohammadi.”
The aforementioned Christian organization, while praying for Shahab Shahi’s acquittal from the charges against him, called on government authorities to cease violations of the rights and persecution of religious and denominational minorities, including those who have converted to Christianity. This is because, according to amendments added to Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, many Christians, particularly those who have converted to Christianity, have been imprisoned.
A recent United Nations resolution, while condemning human rights violations and persecution of religious minorities by the Islamic Republic government, called on Iranian authorities to eliminate all forms of discrimination based on thought, conscience, religion, or belief from the provisions of the Islamic Penal Code in both law and practice.
The charges leveled against Christian citizens by Iranian judicial authorities come at a time when many Christian citizens who are subjected to persecution, torture, detention, and other convictions are languishing in prisons without their identities being disclosed and without awareness of their status and place of detention. Some of them remain unaccounted for and continue to be imprisoned in government detention facilities.
