Three Christians rearrested for their faith in Iran were subjected to torture and asked to write letters renouncing their belief in Jesus amid the reality of a sixfold increase in prison sentences for Christians in the Islamic Republic in 2024, a new report states.
Article 18, a London-based religious freedom nongovernmental organization, released an annual report this month chronicling rights violations against Christians in Iran.
The report, titled “The Tip of the Iceberg” and released in partnership with Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide and Middle East Concern, found that Christians in Iran were sentenced to a combined total of 250 years in prison in 2024, a sixfold increase compared to 2023’s report.
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According to the document, 96 Christians were sentenced to a combined 263 years in prison, 37 years of internal exile and nearly $800,000 in fines.
“At least 139 Christians were arrested in Iran in 2024 on account of their religious beliefs or activities, 80 were detained and 77 were charged,” Article 18 stated in the latest report. “At the end of 2024, at least 18 Christians were still serving sentences related to their faith. There were also reports of detained Christians being physically tortured.”
To address cases that often go unreported, the report includes details on the prosecution of Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri and Gholam Eshaghi. They were arrested last year by agents with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Ministry of Intelligence had previously arrested the three, along with 20 others, in December 2023.
IRGC agents rearrested the men and took them to a detention center in Sari, where they were denied access to a lawyer, according to the report. The Christians faced charges of “propagating a religion contrary to Islam” and “collaborating with foreign governments,” according to a November 2024 Article 18 report.
The three were released on Nov. 17, 2024, on bail of 1 billion tomans, which would cost $15,000.
Before their release, the three men were subjected to physical and psychological torture during prolonged interrogations. They were told to write letters renouncing their faith and apologize for their actions.
“On the day of their release, another member of the group, Javad Amini, was rearrested and transferred to the Sari detention centre,” the report states. “Mr Amini’s wife, Farzaneh Ahmadi, went home to discover it ransacked, and minutes later received another unwelcome visit from the agents, who claimed they were looking for her husband’s phone and Bibles.”
“The agents later returned for a third visit and confiscated several Bibles and other Christian books, as well as Mr. Amini’s notebooks related to his study of Christian theology,” the document continued.
Agents with the Ministry of Intelligence and IRGC interrogated Amini’s wife during his detention, subjecting her to “severe psychological pressure.” Amini and two other Christian converts were released on Nov. 27, 2024, on bail of 1 billion tomans ($15,000).
Before their release, Amini, Alikhani, Malamiri, and Eshaghi and eight others went through a trial at Branch 102 of the Criminal Court of Nowshahr, according to the Article 18 joint report. Prosecutor Mohammad Reza Ebrahimi said in the indictment that those on trial had identified themselves as Christians in their defense.
As the prosecutor wrote, “And this is supported by the messages exchanged in their phones,” as well as through the “Gospels and other Christian literature found in their possession.” The prosecutor argued that the individuals were guilty of a crime because they had set up groups to teach about Christianity.
The outcome of the trial remained unreported at the end of 2024, according to the Article 18 joint report.
The confiscation of Christian properties and the targeting of their finances is another trend highlighted by the watchdog groups. IRGC intelligence agents would question arrested Christians about whether they received any funding from abroad.
“Each arrest was carried out by IRGC intelligence agents, who sought to charge them under a provision within the amended Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, which calls for the maximum punishment of up to 10 years’ imprisonment in cases where the individual has received ‘financial or organisational help from outside the country,'” the report notes.
“The Iranian government seems to have intensified its efforts to isolate and financially undermine the Christian community as part of a broader strategy to suppress its growth and influence,” the report states.
“Making financial donations, charitable offerings, or paying tithes to support church activities are standard practices for Christians worldwide, but such activities have been criminalised by Iran’s Revolutionary Courts.”
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
