Three Christian converts arrested last month in the port city of Nowshahr on the Caspian Sea coast of northern Iran remain in detention in an unknown location.
Jahangir Alikhani, Hamed Malamiri and Gholam Eshaghi (pictured, from left) had previously been arrested at Christmas 2023 on charges relating to their Christian faith and were awaiting the outcome of their trial when intelligence agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps arrested them on 23 and 24 September.
The agents violently searched their homes, overturning sofas, before taking them away. Article 18 reports that the Christians are believed to have been taken to Sari, the capital of Mazandaran province, three hours’ drive from Nowshahr, which is in the same province. Their families have not heard from them since their arrest and Article 18 understands that they have been denied access to a lawyer.
Twenty Christians detained in Christmas raids
The three men were among twenty Christians arrested by armed Ministry of Intelligence agents in Nowshahr and nearby Chalus in coordinated raids on their homes in the early hours of 26 December 2023, when the agents filmed themselves confiscating personal items including identity papers, Bibles and other Christian literature.
Some of the Christians were released later that day after questioning, but at least nine (including Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam) were transferred to the Ministry of Intelligence detention centre in Sari, where they were interrogated regarding their faith and peaceful Christian activities.
Article 18 understands that on the morning of their arrest the investigator of the General and Revolutionary Prosecutor’s Office of Nowshahr briefly met with the detained Christians but did not officially notify them of any charges.
In the interrogations that followed, the Christians were verbally accused of “establishing house-churches”, “propagating Christianity” and following a “religion disturbing to the holy religion of Islam”. They were released on bail after between two and five weeks’ detention and were prohibited from leaving Iran for the next six months.
In May several family members of the arrested Christians were summoned for prolonged interrogations during which they were threatened, insulted and intimidated, and a female family member was reportedly beaten. Article 18’s sources said the interrogators attempted to force the families to confess to having had contact with foreign countries or Christian organisations abroad.
On 27 August, 14 of the Christians (including Jahangir, Hamed and Gholam) were summoned to the 1st Branch of the Prosecutor’s Office of the General and Revolutionary Court of Nowshahr to present their last defence against charges of “collaborating with hostile foreign countries against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran and insulting to the religion of Islam and its sanctities through the press”.
(Article 18)
Photo: Article 18