Imprisonment of Christians Jumps Six-Fold in Iran as Persecution Intensifies

Judge to Christian: “It’s a disgrace that you are even breathing the air in this sacred courtroom. You should go to prison right now.”

Over 300 Prosecuted in Tehran Alone, Nearly 100 Sentenced to Long Prison Terms for Practicing Faith

April 1, 2025 — Iran’s relentless persecution of Christians has surged in intensity and brutality over the last year, with the evangelical Christian community singled out for violent arrests and interrogations, lengthy prison terms that have increased six-fold, and brutal mistreatment in detention that has torn apart families and devastated lives, the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) said today.

“The Christian community in Iran is facing a crisis. The Iranian authorities are abducting growing numbers of Christians and throwing absurd national security charges at them in order to imprison them for years for doing nothing other than peacefully practicing their faith,” said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of CHRI.

“The Islamic Republic is terrified of its growing Christian convert community, and is trying to crush it the way it crushes all perceived threats: through sham prosecutions in kangaroo courts, violent brutality, and years locked behind bars,” Ghaemi said.

In 2024, Iran’s imprisonments of Christians surged six-fold, according to the Article 18 organization, with the authorities handing down a total of 263 years in prison to 96 Christians—up from 43.5 years for 22 individuals in 2023.

The authorities portray Christian evangelicals as a threat to the state, charging them with “acting against national security,” which carries lengthy prison sentences, and apostasy, which can lead to execution. The arrests in 2024 were carried out by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence agents, and the courts typically used a provision added to Article 500 of Iran’s Penal Code in 2021 (which stipulates heavy punishments for anyone who commits “any deviant educational or proselytizing activity that contradicts or interferes with the sacred law of Islam”) to justify long prison sentences.

“The persecution of Christians in Iran is part of the Islamic Republic’s assault on civil liberties, religious freedom, and minority communities, and it reflects the regime’s reliance on fear and repression to maintain control,” Ghaemi added.

CHRI calls on governments worldwide and all relevant UN bodies to summon Iranian authorities to:

• Demand the immediate release of all individuals imprisoned for the peaceful practice of their faith;
• Immediately cease the targeted persecution of Christian converts, and allow them to practice their faith without hindrance or penalty.

Leaked Judiciary Files Expose Systematic Christian Persecution

A recent report by Article 18 has uncovered the systematic state targeting of Christians, citing leaked Tehran judiciary files that contained 327 cases of Christians persecution from 2008 to 2023—of which 90% were Christian converts. Since the 327 cases mentioned are limited to the Tehran region, they represent only a fraction of the nationwide convictions of Christians during that period. 

The report identified an additional 37 cases involving at least 96 individuals in Tehran alone that were not included in the leaked files, further underscoring the scale of persecution. The report also notes that 58% of cases in the leaked files were previously unknown, highlighting the challenge of documenting unpublicized cases. 

In addition to long imprisonments, the leaked files detailed how:

• Christians are branded as “deviant sects” and “national security threats.”
• House churches (where the growing Christian convert community worships as they are not allowed to register and build new churches) are raided.
• Members are forced to recant their faith. 
• Promoting Christianity is criminalized as “propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
• The Bible is treated as contraband; the singing of worship songs is criminalized.
• The state confiscates Christian-owned property.
• Security agencies (IRGC) control prosecutions of Christians.
• Punishments also include forced transcription of government texts, bans on non-family social contact, mandatory Islamic lifestyle courses, and travel restrictions.
• Donors of church activities targeted; imprisonment, fines, and even flogging imposed for receiving or providing Christian charitable aid.

Harrowing Interview with Imprisoned Christian Reveals Iran’s Abuses

In a recent interview with CHRI, a Christian citizen in Iran who converted to Christianity in 2008 relayed his personal account of brutal and unlawful persecution by the authorities in Iran. Released from prison only five months ago, his account begins in 2017, and reveals the extent of the cruelty and abuse inflicted upon the Christian community in Iran by the authorities.

“In 2017, I traveled to a neighboring country to attend a religious seminar. These types of religious seminars never discuss political matters—all the lectures and discussions are purely about faith and religion. There is absolutely no political activity in churches or at such seminars.

“Two or three days before I was supposed to return to Iran, IRGC intelligence agents arrested one of my friends (who had also converted to Christianity). Afterward, my friend’s wife called me and warned that I shouldn’t return because the intelligence agents were looking for me.

“I thought I had no reason to worry because I believed I hadn’t done anything illegal. I also had a young son who suffered from a congenital illness and needed my care. He was living with my family, and I didn’t want to leave him.

“But when I consulted with pastors and other friends, they convinced me it would be safer not to return to Iran. I decided to stay in the neighboring country until the situation improved. After about a year and two months, my son’s health deteriorated and I could no longer bear to be away from him. I made the decision to return to Iran.”

“I had to wear a blindfold at all times—except when I was in solitary confinement.”

Upon his return, he was immediately stopped at the airport. Security officers confiscated his passport and told him only that he had a political case at Branch 33 of the Revolutionary Court, without providing further explanation.

“I went to Branch 33 almost every week, asking why they wouldn’t return my passport. But every time, I received no response. About six months later, I got a call from an unknown number. They told me they wanted to send me a summons and that I had to be home at a specific time. I told them I would go to the courthouse myself because I didn’t want agents coming to my mother’s house and arresting me in front of her and my child.

“Shortly after the call, several plainclothes agents stormed my mother’s home. They behaved extremely aggressively. For more than four hours, they violently searched my mother’s apartment, seizing all of my child’s identification documents and every electronic device in the house, including mobile phones and computers. They then blindfolded me, put me in a car, and transferred me to Ward 2A of Evin Prison, which is controlled by the IRGC’s intelligence unit.

“From that moment on, for the next 52 days, I had to wear a blindfold at all times—except when I was inside my solitary confinement cell. During those 52 days, I was interrogated 28 times. The shortest session lasted one hour, while the longest went on for nine hours. Out of those 52 days, I spent 32 in solitary confinement and 20 in a shared cell with other prisoners. In the first week, they suddenly allowed me to make a phone call to my mother and sister—but after that, I had no further contact with anyone.

“I was bewildered by their questions. They had nothing to do with my religious beliefs or activities. They kept insisting I was a spy, that I had worked for a certain country. They continuously threatened me, saying they were building a case against me.

“During interrogations, there were always three interrogators whom I never saw, as I was forced to face the wall the entire time. In the first two weeks, their behavior was extremely violent. Then, over time, they changed tactics—a new interrogator arrived, and their approach shifted. They tried to extract information from me with scattered, unrelated questions to fabricate charges. For instance, one interrogator would ask about sports, another about economic issues, and another about politics.”

After 52 days of interrogation, he was transferred from Ward 2A to quarantine. During this time, the authorities told his family to provide a property deed as bail for his release. Although he was eventually released on bail, officials refused to return his personal belongings or his son’s documents.

“After my release, I repeatedly went to the Moqaddas Prosecutor’s Office, but there was no news. After six months, I started writing letters to the head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization (Taeb), but I received no response. Then, I wrote to the Supreme Leader’s office, asking why I had to be in this situation when I had committed no crime and there was no evidence against me.”

After numerous letters to different authorities, he received a summons from the Judiciary in late 2019, notifying him that his court hearing was scheduled three months later (in early 2020) at Branch 28 of the Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Mohammad Moghiseh.

“Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the trial proceedings were postponed. During this time, I consulted several lawyers, and every single one of them, upon hearing Judge Moghiseh’s name, became fearful and advised me to leave the country by any means necessary. But since I wasn’t familiar with Moghiseh’s reputation (Moghiseh is a notorious hardline judge often handpicked by security agencies to preside over political cases) and was certain I hadn’t committed any crime, I didn’t take their warnings seriously. I thought nothing would happen to me in court. That’s why I didn’t even hire a lawyer at that time—I genuinely didn’t know who Moghiseh was and assumed the lawyers were simply being overly pessimistic.”

Judge: “It’s a disgrace that you are even breathing the air in this sacred courtroom. You should go to prison right now.”

“There were three others in the case with me, and one of them had a lawyer. As soon as we entered, I knew the atmosphere in the courtroom was hostile. Within seconds, Moghiseh started cursing at us.

“For the entire fifteen-minute session, all he did was curse, not allowing anyone to say a single word. At one point, he started looking around his desk for an ashtray or a sugar bowl to throw at us.

“When he finished his verbal assault, he turned to me and said, ‘It’s a disgrace that you are even breathing the air in this sacred courtroom. You should go to prison right now.’ He immediately ordered officers to handcuff me, and I only had time to say goodbye to the others before being taken directly to Evin Prison. Later, we were informed that we had been sentenced to 10 years in prison on the charge of ‘acting against national security by forming a house church.’”

“After my child passed away, the prison authorities refused to grant me even a short leave to attend his burial.”

He described the first few months in prison as the hardest of his life. While some prisoners were released in COVID-19 pardons, he was not included. Meanwhile, his son’s health deteriorated, and according to doctors, the presence of the father was emotionally crucial for the child.

“It was mid-2021 when I found out that my child’s condition had become critical. By that time, I had repeatedly requested temporary leave, but the prison authorities kept rejecting my requests. Finally, two prison officials approved a brief, supervised leave, and the guards took me—wearing a prison uniform and handcuffs—to see my son on his sickbed. I didn’t want him to see me like that. The guards only allowed me 20 minutes with my son, and unfortunately, that was our last meeting. He was in such a terrible state that I knew our next meeting would be in the heavens—he wouldn’t survive.”

Just three months later, on December 30, 2021, his 18-year-old son passed away. Despite numerous requests, he was not allowed to attend the funeral.

“After my child passed away, the prison authorities refused to grant me even a short leave to attend his burial. That period was so emotionally devastating that I lost all motivation to do anything. From that moment on, I never made another request to the prison authorities. I never wanted to ask them for anything again.

“After the death of my son, I decided to rebuild my spirit and started exercising in prison and teaching exercise to other prisoners. I started my own religious activities, and sometimes, we would hold prayer meetings with some prisoners.

“I created a life for myself in prison and had no intention of requesting freedom from the authorities. I held religious gatherings and prayers with even more courage, and when the prison guards interrogated me, I felt no fear at all. I told them, ‘I have nothing to lose. Even here, I continue living according to my beliefs.’ I had no more worries or fears.”

Interrogator: “We don’t want to release you easily.”

He described how interrogators threatened him with the death penalty by pointing to a journalist who was executed in 2020. But eventually, his fifth petition to the Supreme Court was approved, and he was released—after nearly five years.

“It was in Dey 1402 (December 2023–January 2024) when they took me in for another interrogation. This time, there were a few new interrogators in the room. A significant part of their questions focused on my activities and work inside the prison. But this time, I had nothing to lose and felt no fear.

“I asked them, ‘After all the suffering and hardships you’ve inflicted on me and my family, can you sleep peacefully at night? Is your conscience clear after treating an innocent person like this? After denying a father the right to be present at his child’s burial?’

“Then one of the interrogators said, ‘Look, we don’t want another Ruhollah Zam (a journalist executed by the regime).’ In other words, they were threatening me with execution. Then they told me, ‘We don’t want to release you easily.’ They wanted me to request conditional release and sign a legal commitment that, upon my release, I would not give interviews to the media or continue my religious activities. I refused, saying I would not make any commitments and had no intention of requesting conditional release.

“At that point, one of the interrogators started cursing at me again. I told him, ‘I’ve accepted that I must spend ten years in prison. Your threats are useless.’

“A little while after this interrogation, my lawyer advised that we should submit my case to the Supreme Court again and request my release. For the fifth time, we sent a petition to the court. This time, the Supreme Court accepted the request for a retrial, and in Mehr 1403 (September–October 2024), after four years and nine months, I was released.”

Abuses Violate Iranian and International Law

Iran’s constitution recognizes Christianity; its Article 23 states, “investigation of individuals’ beliefs is forbidden, and no-one may be molested or taken to task simply for holding a certain belief.” In addition, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which Iran is a signatory, guarantees freedom of religion.

Yet, in practice, this protection applies only to ethnic Armenian and Assyrian Christian communities, while members of the evangelical Christian community in Iran are stripped of their most basic rights. Converts from Islam—who represent a growing segment of the Christian population in Iran—are the most targeted group of Christians. These Christians are singled out mainly due to their use of Persian in worship and their commitment to evangelism—all seen by the regime as threats encouraging conversion. Supreme Leader Khamenei and other officials view Christian converts as apostates and part of a foreign plot to weaken state ideology.

Abuses against this community include:

• Charged with apostasy for the practice of faith: Apostasy in Iran is viewed as a crime punishable by death, in violation of international law that forbids the death penalty for religious or political “crimes.” Converts face execution risks and extrajudicial killings, as seen in the cases of Christian leaders such as Haik Hovsepian and Tateos Mikaelian.
• Arbitrary arrests and due process violations: Christians are detained without lawful cause, held without charge for prolonged periods, denied legal representation, and prosecuted in sham trials.
• Torture and abuse: Detained Christians face torture, physical abuse, and threats of extrajudicial execution during interrogations.
• Prosecution as national security threats: Christians are charged with national security crimes that carry lengthy prison sentences for basic religious activities.
• Sentenced to lengthy prison terms for the peaceful practice of their religion.
• Denied freedom of religion, association and assembly, and expression: Iran bans new churches for the Evangelical community, criminalizes house churches, and arrests leaders for organizing worship.
• Heavily prosecuted for distributing bibles and literature, and accessing religious media.
• Surveillance and harassment: The government monitors, surveils, and intimidates Christians, including phone tapping and interrogations.
• Discrimination in employment, education, and family law: Christians face employment discrimination, denial of education, and legal disadvantages in marriage, inheritance, and child custody due to their faith.

Speaking at a UN event in Geneva in January, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in Iran Mai Sato raised alarm over the persecution of Christians, calling it “a matter of serious concern that demands our continued attention.”

Reported Persecutions of Christians in Iran (March 20, 2024 – March 20, 2025)

It is important to note that due to limited reporting and state-imposed restrictions on information, this list represents only a fraction of the documented cases of Christian persecution in Iran. Many more incidents remain unreported as evident in the leaked files mentioned above.

March 20, 2025: Amirali Minaei, a Christian convert currently serving his prison sentence in Evin Prison, was recently assaulted by one of the prison guards.

March 17, 2025: Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, 63, a Christian convert who spent nearly five years in prison for his faith, suffered a stroke after a 35-day hunger strike in Tehran’s Evin Prison. He was found face down in his solitary cell.

March 10, 2025: Narges Nasri, a Christian convert, was sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to 16 years in prison, 15 years of social rights deprivation, and a fine. She was arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents on November 1, 2024, while in the first month of pregnancy, and was later released on bail from Evin Prison on December 1, 2024.

March 10, 2025: Mehran Shamlooei and Abbas Soori, Christian converts residing in Tehran, were sentenced by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a total of 25 years and eight months in prison, 30 years of social deprivation, fines, and additional penalties.

February 6, 2025: Security forces raided a gathering of dozens of Christian converts in Gatab, a town in Babol County, and arrested Somayeh Rajabi, a Christian convert, transferring her to prison.

February 6, 2025: Naser Navard Goltapeh and Joseph Shahbazian, two Christian citizens residing in Tehran Province, were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents and transferred to Evin Prison.

December 30, 2024: Ghazal Marzban, a Catholic convert detained in Evin Prison, was sentenced to six months in prison, 74 lashes, and supplementary penalties by Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court.

December 26, 2024: Over 40 Christians were arrested in two cities while celebrating Christmas.

November 26, 2024: Twelve Christian converts were due to appear in Branch 1 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court in the northern Iranian city of Nowshahr on November 26. Those summoned were among over 20 Christians first arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents in Nowshahr and neighbouring Chalus last Christmas.

November 17, 2024: IRGC Intelligence agents arrested Javad Amini, a Christian convert, in Nowshahr, Mazandaran province, and transferred him to a detention facility in Sari. 

November 5, 2024: Tumaj Aryankia, a Christian convert, was sentenced to 10 years in prison and a two-year ban on participating in social activities.

September 29, 2024: Christian convert Mehdi (Yasser) Akbari was released after nearly five years in Evin Prison, when his 10-year sentence was reduced to four years and five months.

September 24, 2024: Iranian-Armenian church leader Anooshavan Avedian, 62, serving a 10-year prison sentence for leading a house-church, was acquitted and released after spending a little over a year in Evin Prison.

September 23, 2024: Three Christian converts, Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri, and Gholam Eshaghi, were arrested by IRGC Intelligence forces in the city of Nowshahr, a district of Mazandaran Province.

September 9, 2024: Mozhdeh (Mojdeh) Fallahi, a Christian convert, was arrested after visiting the Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office in Shiraz to submit necessary documents for the release of a Christian friend who had been arrested the previous day. However, upon her arrival, she was immediately taken into custody and transferred to House No. 100, the detention center operated by the Ministry of Intelligence.

June 19, 2024: Five Christian converts, Nasrollah Mousavi, Bijan Gholizadeh, Hamid Afzali, Iman Salehi, and Zohrab Shahbazi, have been collectively sentenced to 25 years and 9 months in prison by Iran’s judiciary.

June 18, 2024: Yasin Mousavi, a Christian convert residing in Izeh, a town in Khuzestan Province, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Iran’s judiciary. He is among those arrested during the Woman, Life, Freedom movement.

May 28, 2024: Esmail Narimanpour, a Christian convert residing in Dezful, Khuzestan province, was sentenced to five years of imprisonment by Iran’s judicial system.

May 26, 2024: Farrokh Kakai, a Christian convert and a 54-year-old father of two, was arrested by Iranian Intelligence forces in Karaj.

May 22, 2024: A hospital founded by American Christian missionaries in the early 1900s and confiscated by the state following the establishment of the Islamic Republic in 1979, was demolished.

April, 2024: Abdolreza (Matthias) Ali-Haghnejad, a church leader serving a six-year sentence, was told he would no longer be permitted to return home to visit his family each month.

April 26, 2024: Mina Khajavi Ghomi, a 60-year-old Christian convert from Tehran serving a six-year sentence in Evin Prison, has been suffering from severe, inadequately treated illnesses.

March 26, 2024: Laleh Sa’ati, a 45-year-old Christian convert, was sentenced to two years of imprisonment and additional penalties.