Nine Christian converts in Iran sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison
Nine Christian converts, Abdolreza (Matias) Alihaqnejad, Shahroz Eslamdoost, Behnam Akhlaqi, Babak Hosseinzadeh, Mehdi Khatibi, Khalil Dehghanpour, Hossein Kadivar, Kamal Nomaniyan, and Mohammad Vafadar, have been sentenced to a total of 45 years in prison by the Revolutionary Court.
An informed source told VOA that these Christian converts from Rasht and members of the Church of Iran were each sentenced to five years in prison in a joint case by Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, on charges of "acting against national security." The verdict was delivered to them on October 11, 2019.
According to this informed person, these nine Christian converts were arrested in their homes or house churches between February 29 and March 4, 2018, and four of them, Khalil Dehghanpour, Hossein Kadivar, Kamal Nomaniyan, and Mohammad Vafadar, were temporarily released from prison in March of the same year after posting bail of 150 million Tomans until the end of the trial.
Five other converts also faced a tenfold increase in bail for opposing the use of a hired lawyer and insisting on having a lawyer of their own choosing, and due to their inability to secure it, they were transferred to Ward 4 of Evin Prison.
The source told VOA that the Christian converts have now appealed the ruling issued by the lower court and are awaiting the ruling from the appeals court.
Previously, two Christian converts, Fatemeh (Aylar) Bakhtari and Zaman (Sahib) Fadaei, whose sentences had previously been issued by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, headed by Judge Mashaallah Ahmadzadeh, were confirmed by Branch 54 of the Tehran Court of Appeals, headed by Judge Hassan Babaei, and this sentence was communicated to these two Iranian Christian citizens on May 18.
Such sentences have been issued and confirmed for these Christian citizens at a time when Islamic Republic officials, including Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, have repeatedly claimed that no one in Iran is prosecuted or convicted for expressing an opinion.
Earlier, US Ambassador for Religious Freedom Sam Brownback told VOA: "Iran has the most egregious record in the US State Department of countries involved in the persecution of religious minorities, and this regime persecutes any religious minority it deems inappropriate."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said during the unveiling of the annual Religious Freedom Report that the repression of Baha'is, Christians, and other religious and religious minorities in Iran remains a cause for serious concern.
