Continued Detention of ‘Joseph Shahbazian’ and Absence from Mother’s Funeral Ceremony
The detention of Joseph Shahbazian, a Christian citizen, continues after two months, preventing him from attending his mother’s funeral ceremony.
According to published reports, Joseph Shahbazian’s mother passed away on Wednesday, the 20th of Farvardin due to illness. Joseph Shahbazian, who was responsible for caring for his mother, was suddenly arrested on the 18th of Bahman 1403 by Ministry of Intelligence agents at his residence. Not only did he lose the responsibility of caring for his mother, but now that he has lost her, due to the refusal of prison authorities to grant him leave, he was unable to attend his mother’s burial ceremony.
Mr. Shahbazian is a former prisoner of conscience who was previously arrested for peaceful religious activities and sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment. His sentence was annulled by the Supreme Court in Esfand 1401 and was reduced to two years by Branch 21 of the Tehran Court of Appeals in Khordad 1402. Therefore, he was released from Evin Prison on the 22nd of Shahrivar 1402, but prison authorities had declared his release to be covered by amnesty.
The charge against him at that time was described as “acting against national security through establishing and managing a house church of evangelical Christianity.” Joseph Shahbazian was arrested again just a few months after his release by Ministry of Intelligence agents and transferred to Evin Prison. Now that two months have passed since his arrest, he remains in detention without being informed of the charges against him.
“Hossein Ahmadi-Niyaz,” a lawyer residing in the Netherlands, comments on this matter: “According to Articles 193 and 195 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, informing the accused of charges is necessary to protect the legal rights of the accused, and the prosecutor’s office is obligated to observe it. Disregarding these articles may result in administrative prosecution of the responsible officials. Informing the accused of charges and respecting the rights of the accused are considered mandatory rules, and judicial authorities are obligated to implement them. Consequently, detention without observing these provisions is considered unlawful.”
The Islamic Republic government has for years, despite being a signatory to Article 18 of the International Covenant on Freedom of Religion and Belief, subjected religious minorities, particularly Christians, to suppression, harassment, torture, and prolonged detention without any valid documentation or evidence, depriving them of their citizenship rights and in many cases exiling them.
