Escalating Crackdown on Iranian Christians in 2025, Heavy Sentences for Christian Faith
As 2025 draws to a close, dozens of Christian citizens in Iran face lengthy prison sentences and social deprivation on charges of security violations and religious proselytization.
According to the latest reports from human rights organizations including Article 18 and Iran Human Rights in the current year, the most severe wave of judicial persecution against Christian citizens in the past decade has been witnessed.
In just the first half of the year, at least 40 Christians in the cities of Tehran, Tabriz, Varamin, and Babol were arrested or summoned to Revolutionary Courts. They have previously been charged with “acting against national security” and “promoting Zionist Christianity” for participating in home gatherings known as “house churches” or possessing Bibles.
“Narges Nasri,” a pregnant Christian citizen residing in Tehran, was sentenced in March 1404 to 16 years in prison and two years of travel ban. “Mehran Shamlou” and “Abbas Suri” were also sentenced in the same case to a total of 26 years imprisonment.
In Tabriz, two citizens were sentenced to 12 years in prison each for possessing several copies of the Bible.
In Varamin, sentences of five Christians who were arrested in 2024 were upheld in the appeals court and declared final.
Additionally, in Evin and Qarchak prisons, several other citizens remain in temporary detention without any court hearings held for them to date.
International organizations defending religious freedom, including Open Doors and Christian Solidarity Worldwide, stated in joint statements: “The persecution of Christians based on faith in Iran is not based on crime, but solely due to their religious beliefs and violates Iran’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.”
In July, the UN Human Rights Council also expressed concern at the Geneva session regarding increased pressure on Iran’s religious minorities, including Christians, Baha’is, and Yarsan followers, and called on the Iranian government to end faith-based arrests.
Christian citizens in Iran who have converted from Islam to Christianity are typically not listed among officially recognized religious minorities. Many of them, after converting to Christianity, are deprived of work, education, or access to social services.
Reports from Iran show that house churches remain the primary form of worship among this community, but participation in them carries the risk of arrest and imprisonment. A knowledgeable source inside the country said: “Our faith continues in secret. Every gathering could be our last meeting.”
Christian activists have called on global networks to place the issue of religious freedom in Iran on the agenda of media and governments. Also, leaders of several international churches stated in a joint statement: “Faith in Iran has become a crime. Now is the time to pray for and take action on behalf of our brothers and sisters imprisoned for the Gospel.”
Experts say the timing of these crackdowns with domestic political and economic crises demonstrates instrumental use of the judicial system for social control. According to observers, Iran has recorded one of the highest rates of religious convictions in the region in 2025.
