Eight Christian Converts Arrested in Bushehr by Personnel of the Intelligence Ministry Under Rouhani’s Government
Eight Christian converts residing in Bushehr were arrested by personnel from the city’s intelligence office and transferred to the security institution’s detention facility.
The “Article 18 Organization” reported on Thursday, July 4 that eight Christian converts, including five members of one family residing in Bushehr, by the names of “Sam Khosravi,” “Maryam Fallahi,” “Sasan Khosravi,” “Marjan Fallahi,” “Khatoon Fathallah Zadeh,” “Fatema Talebi,” “Habib Haidari,” and “Pouria Peima,” were arrested on Monday, July 1 by personnel from the city’s intelligence office and transferred to the security institution’s detention facility.
According to this report, the personnel used violent and disrespectful conduct at the time of arrest, and on the same day of arrest, only Ms. Khatoon Fathallah Zadeh was temporarily released after arrest upon posting bail due to her advanced age.
According to the Article 18 Organization’s report, the Bushehr intelligence office personnel searched the homes of these eight Christian converts at the time of arrest and confiscated a number of books and personal items including “Christian books and pamphlets, wooden crosses, laptops, mobile phones, identification cards and documents, and bank cards.”
It should be noted that in the current calendar year, 34 Christian converts have been arrested in the cities of Bushehr, Rasht, Amol, Ahvaz, Hamadan, Shiraz, and Isfahan.
Previously, Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom, told Voice of America: “Iran has the worst record in the U.S. State Department among countries engaged in persecution of religious minorities, and this regime persecutes any religious minority it deems inappropriate.”
The U.S. State Department has repeatedly protested and condemned violations of the rights of religious minorities—including Sunni Muslims, Baha’is, Christian converts, and others—by the Islamic Republic regime. Despite the leaders of the Islamic Republic being Muslim, millions of Sunni Muslims in Iran face widespread restrictions.
Source: Voice of America
