Tehran Revolutionary Court; Hearing Date Set for Case of Three Christian Citizens
The court hearing on charges against Joseph Shahbazian, Samia (Sonya) Sadegh, and Mina Khajavi Ghomi, Christian citizens residing in Rasht, will be held on May 29, 2022, in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
According to a report by Hrana news agency, the news organ of the Iranian Human Rights Activists Association, the hearing date for the charges against Joseph Shahbazian, Samia (Sonya) Sadegh, and Mina Khajavi Ghomi has been determined.
Based on a recently issued notice served to Iman Soleimani, the defense lawyer for these individuals, the court hearing on charges against these Christian citizens will be held on May 29, 2022, in Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.
Shortly before, an indictment against these citizens was issued and their case was referred to Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court. The charges against these individuals are described as “forming a group with the aim of undermining national security, actions against national security through promoting evangelical Christianity and establishing house churches.”
Among them, Joseph Shahbazian, a 57-year-old Armenian-descended citizen, was arrested in June 2020 along with a number of Christian believers during a religious ceremony in the Yaft Abad area of Tehran. In August 2020, he was temporarily released on a bail of two billion tomans. Samia Sadegh and Mina Khajavi Ghomi were also among those arrested who were temporarily released on bail.
Earlier, Iman Soleimani, the defense lawyer for these three Christian citizens, stated that “despite repeated follow-ups and orders from the prosecutor of the third branch of Evin Security Prosecutor’s Office, the case officers, by refusing to comply with the prosecutor’s orders, are abstaining from returning the personal belongings and even family items of my clients such as mobile phones, laptops, and other items. Additionally, Joseph Shahbazian’s passport has been confiscated by the enforcement officers.”
Source: Hrana
