Imprisonment for Faith, "Hossein (Daniel) Mohammadi" and "Zahra (Hana) Gholami" Under Pressure of Heavy Sentences

"Hossein Mohammadi" (Daniel) and "Zahra Gholami" (Hana) faced heavy prison sentences because of their Christian faith and were summoned to the prosecutor's office to serve the sentence.

According to reliable information, two Iranian Christian citizens, Hossein (Daniel) Mohammadi and Zahra (Hana) Gholami, presented themselves to the Second Branch of the Criminal Execution Division of the Mallard Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor's Office on Sunday, November 15, 1404, after receiving a summons to execute the sentence. This action was taken at a time when the legal status of Christian citizens in Iran has always been accompanied by security and judicial pressures.

The two Christian citizens were arrested on December 10, 1402, after security officers raided a family party near Shahriar. The gathering, which was attended by Christians, was held to plan a Christmas celebration.

On that day, about 30 Ministry of Intelligence agents raided the venue, confiscated the cell phones and communication devices of all attendees, and interrogated each one individually for about half an hour. Over the following weeks, all those present at the party were summoned and re-interrogated several times. After inspecting the house where the gathering took place, agents arrested three of the attendees, Zahra (Hana) Gholami, Hossein (Daniel) Mohammadi, and Sirous Khosravi, and searched their homes.

At the same time, two other citizens, including Timur (Kourosh) Hosseini, an Afghan citizen living in Karaj, were arrested at their homes and workplaces. The Ministry of Intelligence and the Revolutionary Court opened a joint case against these individuals.

At that time, Hana and Daniyal were immediately arrested after their homes were searched, but Sirus Khosravi was immediately released. After a few days, Sirus was summoned for further questioning and temporarily detained, then released without bail on January 12, 1402. Khosravi was the father of twin children who were awaiting a kidney transplant at the time due to kidney disease.

Following the judicial interrogations, the cases of four citizens were examined and Hana, Daniyal, and Kourosh were released on very high bail (two billion Tomans) between 20 Bahman and 2 Esfand 1402, and the fourth citizen was released on bail of 30 million Tomans. It should be noted that the aforementioned citizens were in detention for 42 days.

But that wasn't the end of the story. On March 12 of that year, the investigator of Branch 1 of the Mallard Public Prosecution and Revolution Office filed an indictment against these four citizens with serious charges such as "membership in a group or group with the aim of disrupting the country's security" and "forming a house church."

 In the Shahriar Revolutionary Court, Judge Bahram Panahi, referring to the criminal law, found them “guilty” and sentenced Hana, Danial, and Kourosh to two years in prison. A fourth citizen was also sentenced to one year in prison on charges of aiding and abetting. This sentence was also confirmed in the Court of Appeal, and the Supreme Court rejected the request for a retrial.

The cases of these citizens are only a small part of the dire situation of religious freedom for Christians in Iran. Reports indicate that Christians, especially those who have converted from Islam to Christianity, have been repeatedly subjected to detention, interrogation, and security pressure.

Independent human rights sources, including reports published by international organizations, have confirmed that the "distribution of Christian books," "Christian home meetings," and "communication with Christian institutions abroad" are interpreted by the Islamic Republic as malicious security intentions.

On the other hand, similar cases have been reported in other parts of Iran: for example, Ismail Narimanpour, a Christian citizen in Khuzestan province, was sentenced to five years in prison in 2024. According to reports, his charge was “acting against national security through contact with foreign Christian organizations.”

This wave of repression of Christian citizens raises an important question: “Has conversion become a national security crime in Iran?” Many human rights observers believe that the judicial and security apparatus, using vague laws, defines the activities of non-traditional Christians as a threat to the country’s security. This situation is not only a violation of the basic rights of freedom of religion and belief, but also stems from the government’s concern about the growing growth of Christianity, especially house churches, among Iranians.

Ultimately, the introduction of Hana, Daniyal, and other citizens to the execution of criminal sentences and the issuance of prison sentences against them is a serious alarm bell for the state of religious freedom in Iran, an event that cannot be easily ignored.