3 Christians subjected to bodily, psychological torture in Iran

By Christian Every day Worldwide, Saturday, November 30, 2024

Iranian flag waving with cityscape on background in Tehran, Iran | Getty pictures/inventory photograph

Three Christians in Iran had been tortured earlier than their launch on bail on Nov. 17 amid costs of propagating faith opposite to Islam, a non secular rights group reported.

Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri and Gholam Eshaghi had been arrested by brokers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in September and detained for practically two months earlier than their launch, in accordance with rights group Article 18.

“Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam had been reportedly subjected to bodily in addition to psychological torture throughout extended interrogations and requested to put in writing letters renouncing their Christian religion and expressing regret for his or her actions as a way to safe their launch,” Article 18 reported.

The three Christians initially had been arrested final Christmas, together with 17 others, by Ministry of Intelligence brokers in Noshahr and close by Chalus, the group acknowledged. Later launched, the three Christians had been re-arrested in September and in October had been summoned to the prosecutor’s workplace together with 9 others to face costs of “propagating a faith opposite to Islam” and “collaborating with overseas governments,” in accordance with Article 18.

“They had been then summoned to look on the 1st Department of the Revolutionary Court docket of Nowshahr on Nov. 10, however the listening to was adjourned as not each defendant — together with the three detained — was current,” the group reported.

The indictment acknowledged that the Christians had been charged underneath amended Article 500 of the penal code that already has resulted in lengthy jail sentences for a number of Christians; the regulation has been labelled a “full-on assault on non secular freedom,” in accordance with Article 18.

“They’ve recognized themselves as Christian throughout their protection,” Prosecutor Mohammad Reza-Ebrahimi wrote within the indictment, in accordance with Article 18. “And that is supported by the messages exchanged of their telephones,” in addition to by way of the “Gospels and different Christian literature discovered of their possession.”

The prosecutor acknowledged that the 12 had been criminally chargeable for having “arrange teams to show the Christian faith,” the group reported.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran claims to guard the rights of Christians as one in all three acknowledged non secular minorities, however converts aren’t handled as Christians and proceed to be arrested on account of their non secular identification, as clearly proven on this newest indictment,” Article 18 acknowledged.

One of many 12 Christians charged in October with “propagating a faith opposite to Islam” and “collaborating with overseas governments,” 40-year-old Javad Amini, was arrested by IRGC brokers on the identical day that the three others received bail on Nov. 17, the rights group acknowledged. Amini was arrested alongside along with his uncle, who shouldn’t be believed to be linked to the case.

Sources instructed Article18 that IRGC autos surrounded Amini’s automotive and ultimately took him and his uncle to a detention middle in Sari.

“The brokers confiscated Javad’s keys from him and let themselves into his house, with out knocking, terrifying his spouse and 10-year-old daughter,” Article 18 reported. “His spouse was additionally later interrogated.”

The U.N. final week handed a decision calling on Iran to cease monitoring folks based mostly on their faith and to “launch all non secular practitioners imprisoned for his or her membership in or actions on behalf of a minority non secular group … and to make sure that everybody has the correct to freedom of thought, conscience and faith or perception, together with the liberty to have, to alter or to undertake a faith or perception of their alternative, in accordance with its obligations underneath the Worldwide Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” Article 18 reported.

The “widespread and rampant persecution of Christians” and different non secular minorities was famous this month by the son of the previous Shah of Iran, deposed in 1979.

Saying his nation was “as soon as a bastion of non secular liberty” earlier than the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Reza Pahlavi stated in a Nov. 19 submit on X that Iranian Christians, together with Jews and the Baha’i, have seen their leaders detained, compelled to flee the nation and typically killed.

“Right now the persecution continues, and Iranian Christians, particularly Christian converts, are disadvantaged of even essentially the most fundamental rights, together with entry to church buildings,” Pahlavi wrote. “Christians are routinely imprisoned for his or her beliefs, going through absurd costs of ‘acts in opposition to nationwide safety’ and ‘collaboration and espionage for enemy states.’”

Regardless of such daunting challenges, Pahlavi stated Christians stay resilient in religion and braveness, although “their battle is way from over, they usually want the assist of the worldwide Christian group greater than ever.”

Pahlavi, who based the Iranian exile umbrella group Nationwide Council of Iran and is now based mostly in Nice Falls, Virginia, acknowledged that he had hope that an finish to the regime in Iran would lead to a brand new period of non secular freedom in Iran.

“A free and democratic Iran will as soon as once more embrace the range of faiths and beliefs which were part of our nation’s wealthy historical past for millennia,” he acknowledged. “Christians, Jews, Baha’is, Zoroastrians and Muslims can as soon as once more dwell collectively in concord, free to observe their religions with out concern of persecution.”

Pahlavi was writing following his interview with EWTN (Everlasting Phrase Tv Community) International Catholic Community, the place he commented on non secular minorities’ lack of alternatives and discrimination in Iran. He referred to as for institution of a secular democracy that will embrace separation of faith and state.

Iran ranked ninth on Christian assist group Open Doorways’ 2024 World Watch Checklist (WWL) of the 50 international locations the place it is most troublesome to be a Christian. The WWL report famous the “rising involvement of the IRGC in conducting raids on home church buildings, and a better incidence of acts of violence dedicated throughout arrests and interrogations.”