Security indictment issued against five Christian citizens
The Evin Prosecutor's Office issued an indictment against five Christian citizens on false charges.
According to recently published reports, the Evin Prosecutor's Office issued an indictment on Tuesday, June 10, against five Christian citizens, Lida Aleksani, Aida Najaflo, Joseph Shahbazian, and Nasser Goltepe, and another citizen who did not want to be named, on charges of "propaganda against the system" and "gathering and colluding against internal and external security."
The request for the aforementioned punishment was made with the issuance of a 26-page final order by "Mojtaba Jaberian", the investigator of the third investigation branch of the Evin Prosecutor's Office, which was solely due to peaceful and ideological activities. The said order used "forming, launching and leading a house church, conducting home meetings of evangelical Christianity and performing religious rituals including water baptism and the Eucharist" as a crime.
Baptism and participation in the Eucharist have been repeatedly recognized as crimes for Christian citizens in court, resulting in sentences including imprisonment and flogging. The indictment began with a quote from Ali Khamenei, who referred to the promotion of house churches as a security threat against the pillars of the Islamic system and the actions of the enemies of Islam.
In a speech in Qom in 2010, Ali Khamenei explicitly called house churches a tool of the enemies of the Islamic Republic to weaken religion in society. Referring to Ali Khamenei’s words, the Public Prosecution’s investigator has also criminalized the reading of prayers for Christians in house churches, participating in Christmas celebrations, performing baptisms, holding Holy Communion ceremonies, and participating in seminars on Christian beliefs, and has requested punishment for them. He also described the Bible as a prohibited item and an instrument of crime in the indictment.
In addition to the aforementioned charges, Aida Najaflo has also been accused of “propaganda activity against the Islamic Republic regime in cyberspace and propaganda in favor of groups or organizations opposed to the Islamic Republic regime through the publication of various stories on social networks, insulting the clergy and leaders of the Lebanese resistance, especially Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and supporting Israel.” Aida has also been accused of “defaming the Islamic Republic regime” due to her repeated slogans of “women, life, freedom,” and support for the nationwide uprising protesters.
The indictment has been referred to Branch 15 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Tehran, headed by Judge Abolghasem Salavati, a judge who has issued the most death sentences and heavy punishments for political protesters, civil activists, and members of religious minority communities, especially Christians.
Also known as the "Death Judge," he was placed on the sanctions list by the European Union and the United States for widespread human rights violations, such as depriving defendants of a fair trial and the right to a lawyer of their choice, using extreme pressure to extract forced confessions, and using brutality against defendants.
