Three Iranian Christian converts from Islam have received prison sentences totaling more than 40 years on charges concerning their beliefs and involvement in worship meetings.
Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari announced the sentences on March 8 to Abbas Soori, Mehran Shamloui and Narges Nasri, who is four months pregnant with her first child.
Narges, 37 years old, was sentenced to a total of 16 years. She received 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” five for membership of a house church (deemed to be an “opposition group”) and one year for “propaganda against the state” after she expressed support for the Women, Life, Freedom movement on social media.
Iranian Christian converts (left to right) Mehran Shamloui, Abbas Soori and Narges Nasri. [Image credit: Article 18]
Abbas, 48, received a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment. The term comprises 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for belonging to an “opposition group.”
The sentences for Mehran, 37, for the same charges were eight years for “propaganda activities” and two years and eight months for membership of an “opposition group.”
The sentences included deprivation of social rights – for example, restrictions on their employment. This restriction applies for 15 years in the case of Narges and Abbas, 11 years for Mehran.
Narges and Abbas were each fined 330 million tomans ($3,500), and Mehran was fined 250 million tomans ($2,750) for Mehran.
On conclusion of their prison terms, Narges and Abbas must serve two years of internal exile outside their home province of Tehran, during which time they are banned from leaving Iran.
The three believers were arrested during a series of raids by intelligence agents in November 2024.
Abbas was originally arrested in 2020 and sentenced alongside fellow-Christian convert, Maryam Mohammadi, and their Iranian-Armenian pastor Anooshavan Avedian.
Abbas and Maryam were convicted as members of an “illegal group” and, in addition to receiving travel bans and being exiled from the province of Tehran, were banned from joining any political or social groups. Anooshavan, 62, was given a 10-year prison term. He was acquitted and released from prison in September 2024 one year into his sentence.
Pray that Narges, Abbas, and Mehran will be filled with hope and know the Lord’s presence, purpose and comfort as they as they endure these long sentences. Ask for wisdom in lawyers representing them in seeking to overturn these harsh verdicts.
