Five-Year Prison Sentence for Elnaz Ghorbani, Christian Citizen

Elnaz Ghorbani, a Christian citizen who previously left Iran due to concerns about judicial persecution, has now been summoned to serve a five-year prison sentence. Her case involved the confiscation of a Bible, a cross, and Christian educational materials as part of security measures taken against her religious activities.

According to a report by Article 18 organization, Iran’s judiciary issued a summons on Saturday, October 9, 2026, giving Elnaz Ghorbani five days to report to Qarchak Prison in Varamin to serve her five-year sentence. The summons was issued despite the fact that she had previously left Iran.

Ghorbani’s case dates back to September 2024, when four male officers and one female officer from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Intelligence Organization raided her mother’s home in Tehran. After searching the residence, the officers confiscated a laptop, mobile phones, and other personal belongings. According to Article 18’s report, Bibles, a cross, and Christian educational materials were among the confiscated items. Ghorbani was also interrogated for several hours about her Christian activities and was threatened with arrest.

Soherab Qavidelian, Elnaz Ghorbani’s husband, who is also a Christian citizen, was traveling at the time of the raid. After learning of the incident and concerned about legal consequences, he arranged for his wife to leave Iran.

Qavidelian, who had remained in Iran to care for his ailing father, was arrested in Rasht in November 2024. Informed sources stated that he was subjected to pressure and what has been described as “white torture” during his detention. After being released on bail, he left Iran in January 2025 and joined his wife in Turkey.

On May 28, 2025, the First Branch of the Varamin Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Ashkan Ramesh, sentenced Elnaz Ghorbani and nine other Christian citizens to a combined total of over 29 years in prison. Ghorbani’s share of these sentences was five years of punitive imprisonment.

According to reports from Article 18 and HRANA, the charges against her included “insulting the supreme leader,” “conducting deviant educational and propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” “forming a network to propagate Christianity,” and “spreading computer-based falsehoods.” The verdict was issued under Article 500 Repeated of the Islamic Penal Code.

Nevertheless, the information released about the case raises important questions about the line between peaceful religious activity and criminal charges. Holding religious gatherings, studying the Bible, and teaching religious beliefs should not in themselves result in citizens being deprived of freedom and security.

Elnaz Ghorbani’s case exemplifies ongoing concerns about the state of religious freedom and freedom of conscience in Iran. The confiscation of a Bible and cross during a home inspection, interrogation about Christian activities, and the imposition of a heavy prison sentence highlight the need for an independent examination of how Christian citizens are treated.

The issuance of a summons to enforce a sentence against someone who has left the country demonstrates that the legal consequences of this case continue. In such circumstances, transparency regarding the evidence behind the charges, adherence to fair trial rights, and respect for freedom of conscience and religion are of particular importance.

Religious freedom has meaning only when citizens can pursue their beliefs peacefully, without their Bible, religious gatherings, or participation in a religious community becoming grounds for interrogation and criminal conviction.