Christian citizens Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia sentenced to 24 years in prison
Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia, Christian citizens, were sentenced to a total of 24 years in prison.
Mehdi Rahimi, 49, and Kia Nourinia, 56, Christian citizens living in Tabriz, were sentenced by Judge Hassan Fathnejad, head of the third branch of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, to a total of 24 years in prison, a fine of over two billion tomans, and 15 years of deprivation of social rights for each person.
The deprivation of social rights for each of these citizens, for a period of 15 years, will create economic pressure on them and their other rights, including employment or employment in government or private institutions such as organizations, companies, the armed forces, the Iranian Broadcasting Corporation, municipalities, and other public service institutions.
In the past few years, security agents have raided Christian homes and house churches, searched their homes, and seized personal belongings, including cell phones, laptops, and Persian Bibles, using them as evidence in crimes against Christians. Recently, these raids have been part of a widespread and systematic campaign against Christians in various cities.
Now, the charges brought against Christian citizens Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia are “propaganda against the regime by promoting deviant Zionist Christian beliefs” and “smuggling of prohibited goods.” In the ruling issued against these two Christian citizens, Judge Fathnejad referred to the discovery of the Bible and other books related to Christianity as prohibited goods, describing them as deviant and misguided.
The verdict issued against Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia on April 17, 1404, was issued by the aforementioned court without the presence of the defendants or their defenses, but has only recently been communicated to them.
According to Mehdi Rahimi's statements in an interview with Article 18, agents of the Tabriz Ministry of Intelligence raided his home on November 12, 1403, and seized several volumes of the Bible, the Gospel, and other resources related to Christianity. Their actions were taken while he was traveling abroad at the time, and the sentence issued against him was carried out in absentia.
In addition to issuing the above-mentioned sentences against them, the Tabriz Revolutionary Court has ordered the confiscation of their confiscated personal belongings, including their cell phones and tablets, in favor of the Ministry of Intelligence for use in "research and educational activities at specialized conferences," which is not unlike the theft and confiscation of Christian property for the benefit of the government.
In addition to issuing these sentences, they were also sentenced to two years in prison for possessing the holy books, and were also required to pay ten times the estimated value of the confiscated books as a cash fine, but no explanation was given on what basis this valuation was determined.
According to the Article 18 organization, the information obtained revealed that these attacks were carried out as part of a widespread operation against Christians simultaneously in the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Bandar Abbas, and Tabriz.
