Arrest of about seventy Christians in eleven cities

The Article 18 organization reported the arrest of approximately seventy Christians in eleven cities over a period of one and a half months.

Around seventy Christian citizens have been arrested since June in eleven cities including Tehran, Karaj, Aligudarz, Urmia, Rasht, Shiraz, Semnan, Garmsar, Varamin, Isfahan and Islamsher. Some of them were released after a week in prison after signing a commitment not to attend Christian ceremonies, while others have been in detention for over a month.

It should be noted that most of the detainees are Christians who converted from Islam to Christianity, but two Armenian citizens were also arrested among them. Their arrests took place despite the fact that the constitution of the Islamic Republic grants religious minorities, including Armenians, Assyrians, and Zoroastrians, freedom of religion and the performance of religious ceremonies.

Of the aforementioned individuals, ten are still in custody, and those who have been released have been summoned again and further questioned. It is worth noting that the financial bails set for the temporary release of some of them have ranged from 400 million to two billion tomans. Some of them have even been pressured by security officials to leave the country where they live and work.

According to information released from informed sources, a group of Christians who have been released have been forced to participate in religious and Islamic meetings by judicial institutions.

One of these citizens was fired from his job without explanation after his release. The government has also repeatedly deprived Christians of economic activities, including being denied the right to continue their business, being fired from their jobs, and in some cases, being denied education.

Regarding the arrest of Christians by government forces, a campaign called "The Church is the Right of All Christians" was launched with the support of the "Article 18" organization. This campaign asked the officials of the Islamic Republic government, "Where can Persian-speaking Christians worship without their fate ending in arrest and imprisonment?" Because the Islamic Republic government has not only closed Persian-speaking churches, but has also attacked house churches and put them under security pressure.