Quran Gate in Shiraz, Iran. (Amir Hussain Zolfaghary, Wikipedia)
ISTANBUL (Morning Star News) – Five Christian converts arrested last year in Iran went on trial on Sunday (March 10) for leaving Islam and were handed enormous bail terms.
A judge in Shiraz set bail at $200,000 for Mohammed Roghangir and $80,000 for the other four. The next date for the trial has not been set.
The five men have been detained since their arrest last October for crimes of “threatening national security” and evangelizing. The hearing took place at the 14th branch of the Revolutionary Court in Shiraz, located 920 kilometers (571 miles) south of Tehran.
Enormous bail terms are often used as a tool to create economic hardships for converts and their families and churches, according to those close to the case.
“People are putting down title deeds to their homes to pay these bails,” Khataza Gondwe, Africa and Middle East director for Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) told Morning Star News. “These bails are designed to be financially punitive against families and congregations in order to make life difficult for them.”
Police originally arrested the five men and two others at a house prayer service Roghangir was leading. It was part of a larger crackdown against non-Islamic religious groups perceived as posing a threat to the theocratic regime. Charges of threatening national security are often leveled at converts to Christianity in the Islamic Republic, which considers apostates from Islam a dangerous, uncontrolled element in society.
As no second hearing has been scheduled, the case potentially could drag on for months or years, leaving the five men in legal limbo due to the nature of the charges leveled against them.
“[We are] concerned that the Iranian authorities continue to characterize legitimate religious activities as crimes against the state,” said Andrew Johnston, advocacy director at CSW, in a press statement. “We also deplore the exorbitant bail demands, which are increasingly common and appear to be designed to economically cripple families and congregations.”
Roghangir, Surush Saraie, Eskandar Rezaie, Shahin Lahooti and Massoud Rezaieare are members of the Church of Iran, a heavily persecuted denomination to which jailed pastor Benham Irani also belongs.
After their arrest, the five were held in Plaque 100, the Intelligence Ministry’s notorious detention center. They were then transferred to Adel Abad Prison in Shiraz, which houses hardened criminals and often lacks heating or health facilities, according to CSW.
Political prisoners also fill Adel Abad prison, where as many as two dozen are crammed into a 250 square-foot cell.
The five Christians likely face lengthy prison sentences if convicted. Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini, 32, convicted in January for planting house churches, was sentenced to eight years in prison.
Their trial comes during a period of numerous arrests of Iranian Christians. The spike in arrests is likely due to the upcoming presidential elections, as police have detained other groups perceived as a threat to society.
“Media outlets have been closed down, and journalists, activists and human rights lawyers have been detained,” said Gondwe. “There is a spike in executions after flawed judicial processes.”
Iran is taking every precaution as it prepares for its elections. In 2009, millions marched in protest against widespread suspicious of a rigged voting process that gave Ayatollah-backed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad a second term.
Four Others on Trial
Four other Christians are also on trial, according to Iranian news outlet Mohabat News.
The presiding judge of the case announced that he would issue a verdict regarding Mojtaba Seyyed-Alaedin Hossein, Mohammad-Reza Partoei, Vahid Hakkani and Homayoun Shokouhi after the Nowruz celebrations, a spring “New Year’s” festival among Persians on March 21.
They were arrested at a February 2012 house church meeting and also charged with Christian activities, disturbing national security, and distributing propaganda.
They were reportedly brought to several court appearances in chains, which according to CSW is illegal even under Iranian law.
Iran is a signatory to the U.N. Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 18 guarantees the right to “change his religion or belief … and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
###
© 2013 Morning Star News. Articles may be reprinted with credit to Morning Star News.
Morning Star News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation whose mission is to inform those in the free world and in countries violating religious freedom about Christians worldwide who are persecuted for their faith. For free subscription or to make tax-deductible donations, contact [email protected], or send check to Morning Star News, 24310 Moulton Parkway, Suite O # 157, Laguna Hills, CA 92637, USA.
-
- Quran Gate in Shiraz, Iran. (Amir Hussain Zolfaghary, Wikipedia)
Speak Your Mind