At the beginning of September, five Christian converts in Iran were sentenced to a total of more than 41 years in prison, following the confirmation on appeal issued by Section 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeal. Their “guilt” has been nothing other than praying in house churches, taking online courses on Christianity, and participating in training activities in Turkey.
The sentence confirms the initial convictions issued in July by the Revolutionary Court of Varamin: penalties of up to ten years in prison, added to charges of “propaganda against the regime” and even “insulting the Supreme Leader”.
Tortures, raids and forced confessions
The most serious case is that of Morteza Faghanpour Saasi, sentenced to eight years and eleven months. He was arrested at his workplace last June, transferred to Evin prison, and subjected to torture for 20 days in the notorious section 209, controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence. His home was raided, his Bible confiscated, and he himself was beaten during pretrial detention.
The other four accused—Hessamuddin Mohammad Junaidi, Abolfazl Ahmadzadeh-Khajani, and two converts who preferred anonymity—received sentences of eight years and one month each.
The charges are always the same: distribution of Christian books in Persian, participation in online religious training courses, and meetings in house churches, considered illegal by the Islamic Republic.
Religious persecution disguised as “national security”
The regime justifies the convictions under articles 500 bis, 500, and 514 of the Islamic Penal Code, accusing the Christians of “undermining the integrity of the State” and being at the service of foreign powers. In reality, it is systematic religious persecution against converts, considered apostates and a threat to the monopoly of Islam in public life.
The official propaganda goes even further: in August, state television aired a documentary with forced confessions from converts presented as “foreign collaborators” and “enemies of national security.” A media farce intended to instill fear and legitimize repression.
Christians: second-class citizens
Although Iran tolerates the historical presence of Armenian and Chaldean communities, converts from Islam to Christianity suffer the harshest persecution. They cannot preach the Gospel or possess a Bible in their native language, and they are subject to constant surveillance, detentions, and rigged trials.
According to Open Doors International, Iran ranks ninth in the world for Christian persecution. There, professing faith in Christ is equivalent to risking freedom, physical integrity, and even life.
Faith as a threat to Islamic power
The repression against converts in Iran shows once again that the Islamic regime fears what it cannot control: freedom of conscience and the truth of the Gospel. Those who have embraced Christ are punished with prison and torture, while they are presented as criminals in the eyes of the people.
But behind the propaganda and accusations of “national security,” there remains a reality impossible to hide: Christianity is growing in Iran, and the testimony of the persecuted speaks louder than the repression of their executioners.