Arrest of three Christian citizens in Nowshahr and lack of information about their status

Three Christian citizens were arrested in Nowshahr, and after three weeks, there is no news about their condition.

In the first week of October, security forces raided the homes of three Christian citizens named "Jahangir Alikhani", "Hamed Malamiri", and "Gholam Ishaqi" and arrested them, but after three weeks, there is still no information available about their status or whereabouts.

According to reports published by an informed source, after raiding the homes of these citizens, the officers took all the furniture back and searched the entire house, or so to speak, plowing it. Despite numerous follow-ups, the families of these citizens are still unaware of their situation. It should be noted that these individuals are even denied access to a lawyer.

Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri, and Gholam Eshaghi are among 20 Christian citizens who were arrested around Christmas last year in Nowshahr and the outskirts of Chalus by security agents who raided their homes in a coordinated manner. During their arrests, they filmed their homes and confiscated Bibles and other books related to Christianity.

Some Christian citizens who were arrested last year were released the same day after interrogation, but about nine of them were transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention center in Sari, where an investigator from the Nowshahr Public Prosecution and Revolution Office met with them briefly, but did not officially announce the reason for their arrest.

They were then accused of "establishing house churches," "propagating Christianity," and "following a religion that is harmful to the holy religion of Islam" during interrogations that lasted from 2 to 5 weeks. After a few weeks, they were released on bail, in addition to being banned from leaving Iran for 6 months. 

Also, according to published reports, since May 19, 1403, some families of the detainees have been contacted and informally summoned. After being summoned, these families were subjected to lengthy interrogations and intense pressure by the Ministry of Intelligence interrogators. These citizens were severely insulted and humiliated during the aforementioned interrogations, and in one case, they were even beaten.

The Ministry of Intelligence interrogators were trying to force these citizens to confess to having connections with Christian countries or organizations abroad by threatening and intimidation. In September of this year, four Christian citizens received a notice to appear at the First Interrogation Branch of the Nowshahr Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office to present their final defenses on charges of "collaborating with hostile foreign governments against the Islamic Republic of Iran," "propaganda against the Islamic Republic's system," and "insulting the manifest religion of Islam and its sanctities through the press."

Now that the aforementioned citizens are awaiting the outcome of their trial, Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri, and Gholam Ishaqi have been re-arrested by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.

It seems that the Islamic Republic government is again trying to intimidate other citizens by arresting these citizens around the New Year and Christmas celebrations so that they cannot take any measures to celebrate Christmas and New Year.