Christian Refugee from Iran Faces Possible Expulsion from Turkey

Convert from Islam was persecuted for his faith in his country.

(Morning Star News) – An Iranian Christian convert faces possible expulsion from Turkey and a three-year prison sentence on a charge of spreading “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran,” according to religious freedom advocates. The government of Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan continued its crackdown on expatriate Christians with the Jan. 29 arrest of […]

Unusual Ruling Frees Christian Couple from Prison in Iran

Judge rules participating in religious ‘home-group’ is not illegal.

(Morning Star News) – Iranian authorities released two Christian leaders from prison last week after a judge broke with common judicial practice in the country and ruled that home church participation was not illegal, sources said. Throwing out a 2020 conviction, a judge in Branch 34 of the Appeals Court in Tehran on May 9 […]

Iran Releases Yousef Nadarkhani, Other Christians from Prison

Pastor initially sentenced to death freed in annual tradition.

(Morning Star News) – Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, once sentenced to death in Iran for apostasy, was the third Christian convert recently released from prison as part of the government’s annual amnesty marking the anniversary of the 1979 revolution. Originally sentenced to death in 2010 for leaving Islam, Nadarkhani was freed on Feb. 26, following the […]

Iran Releases Two Christians from Notorious Evin Prison

After denial of pardons, church leaders receive freedom.

(Morning Star News) – Two Christians imprisoned in Iran for their church leadership roles were released a few days after a fire broke out in Tehran’s Evin Prison on Oct. 15, but rights advocates were mystified about why they were freed. Pastor Naser Navard Goltapeh, who had spent two months in solitary confinement, was released […]

Iran Punishes Christians with Harsh Prison Sentences

House churches considered threat to national security.

(Morning Star News) – When authorities in Iran summoned a Christian couple in Tehran on Aug. 13, the house-church members supposed it concerned the return of their confiscated belongings. Instead, Homayoun Zhaveh and his wife Sara Ahmadi were detained in Tehran’s Evin Prison, notorious for its harsh treatment of people deemed political enemies of the […]

First Christians Sentenced to Prison under New Law in Iran

Harsher punishments meted out under amendments.

(Morning Star News) – The first Christians to be punished under a newly amended law in Iran aimed at halting the growth of Christianity and other religious groups were sentenced to five years in prison for spreading “propaganda” against Islam after they refused to renounce Christ, sources said. Amin Khaki, Milad Goudarzi and Alireza Nourmohammadi, […]

Christian Flogged in Iran, Pastor and Wife Forced to Flee

Harsh sentences reflect dark times for both recognized and underground churches.

(Morning Star News) – The flogging an underground Christian in Iran received and the harsh prison sentence upheld for the pastor of a legally recognized church reflect the growing dangers of Christian faith in the country. Mohammad Reza (Youhan) Omidi on Oct. 14 received 80 lashes for drinking Communion wine. Alcohol is forbidden only for […]

Court in Iran Denies Christians Custody of Adopted Daughter

Verdict upheld on appeal because parents converted from Islam.

(Morning Star News) – A appeals court in Iran last week denied a Christian couple custody of their adopted daughter after they faced criminal charges for their faith. Sam Khosravi and Maryam Falahi, converts from Islam, had adopted 3-month-old Lydia from an orphanage in February 2019. Before a welfare organization finalized the adoption, government security […]

New Law in Iran Threatens More Arrests of Christians, Rights Advocates Say

Legislation could enable regime to ban any group as a ‘sect.’

(Morning Star News) – Legislation passed by parliament in Iran could make it easier to arrest and imprison Christians and other religious minorities, rights advocates said. Under amendments to articles 499 and 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, those found guilty of “deviant psychological manipulation” or “propaganda contrary to Islam,” whether in the “real or […]

Some Prisoners Released, but Iran Continues Crack-Down on Christians

After brief lull, converts still targeted.

(Morning Star News) – The COVID-19 crisis in Iran has resulted in freedom for several Christians among the roughly 85,000 people released from prison, but convictions have continued in spite of a short-lived lull in actions against converts to Christianity, sources said. The release of imprisoned Christians as part of the regime’s efforts to curb […]