Several Christian Organizations Call for Awareness on ‘Minority Rights Violations’ in Iran; Letter from Three Imprisoned Christians in Evin
A group of Iranian, European, and international Christian organizations, in separate letters to the UN Secretary-General and Javaid Rehman, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran, called for continued efforts to raise awareness about violations of freedom of conscience and belief in Iran, particularly violations of minority rights.
Meanwhile, three imprisoned Christians in Iran, through the release of letters and video messages, have emphasized the right to have churches and collective worship.
Babak Hosseinzadeh, Behnam Ekhlaghi, and Saheb Fadaei, three imprisoned Christians in Iran who have been sentenced to lengthy prison terms, in a joint letter referring to Article 13 of the Iranian Islamic Republic’s Constitution, which emphasizes the rights of Iranian Christians, wrote that there is a deep gap between written laws and practice.
These imprisoned Christians in Ward 8 of Evin Prison, in this joint letter released as part of the campaign “Church is the Right of All Christians,” emphasizing that many Iranian Christians have “security labels engraved on their foreheads,” stated that many churches have been sealed off by the government, demolished, or subjected to change of use, and “if we close our eyes to the doors of official churches, we have certainly closed our eyes to the violation of all the rights of Iranian Christians.”
They also expressed concern about the issuance of new prison sentences against them after the end of their current sentences.
Babak Hosseinzadeh, who has been sentenced to five years in prison for participating in a house church and has served half of his sentence, in a released video asks: “After my release, will you send me to prison again because of my religious belief and being Christian?”
Behnam Ekhlaghi, another imprisoned Christian, in a video recorded in front of a closed house church, asked where and how he should worship?
Behnam Ekhlaghi says: “I am told that we respect your faith and your only problem is that you participate in a house church. My question is, if this respect exists, where should I participate in church? After my release, where should I perform religious ceremonies as a Christian?”
Iran has been listed since 1999 as a “Country of Particular Concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 due to severe violations of religious freedoms. Anthony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State, based on the latest report on the state of religious freedom, emphasized that the Iranian Islamic Republic’s government continues to intimidate, harass, persecute, and detain members of religious minorities, including Bahá’ís, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Sunni Muslims, and Dervishes.
Source: Voice of America
