May 2, 2012

Protestant Pastor Sentenced to Six Years

After detaining 33-year-old Christian pastor Farshid Fathi for 16 months without indictment, judicial authorities finally sentenced him to six years in prison in April 2012. Fathi’s indictment is part of a continuing pattern of discrimination and persecution of Christian converts in Iran. ...

October 20, 2011

Days Before Release, Christian Pastor’s Prison Sentence Extended

On 18 October, Iranian judicial authorities in Iran extended the prison term for Pastor Behnam Irani by five years, invoking a suspended sentence from 2008. Irani is a member of an evangelical group called Church of Iran and the leader of a house-church in Karaj. A ...

September 29, 2011

Nadarkhani Refuses to Repent; Awaiting Final Ruling on Apostasy Death Sentence

In his last court session on Wednesday, 28 September, Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, charged with apostasy and sentenced to execution, refused to repent of his Christian faith despite the judge's repeated requests. Youcef Nadarkhani's ...

July 26, 2011

Supreme Court Says No Apostasy Execution if Pastor was Never Muslim and Repents

The Supreme Court of Qom Province issued an official verdict in the apostasy case of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, ruling that the lower criminal court and the appeals courts did not provide adequate background information as to whether or not Nadarkhani was ever actually a ...

July 8, 2011

Christian Pastor’s Repentance Required for Death Sentence Overturn, Says Lawyer

Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, lawyer for Youcef Nadarkhani, a Protestant Christian pastor charged with apostasy, refuted reports by some media outlets that his client’s death sentence has been upheld. “Fortunately, on Tuesday, 27 June, Youcef Nadarkhani’s death sentence was overturned by the Supreme Court in Qom ...

May 18, 2011

Protestants Acquitted of Political Charges, Recognized Under Iran’s Constitution

On 14 May 2011 the Revolutionary Court of the northern city of Bandar Anzali acquitted twelve Protestant Christians of the specific charge of “forming a society with the intent of disrupting national security.” ...