Two Christians pardoned and released from jail by Iranian authorities on charges relating to their roles in running “house churches” have been rearrested.
Naser Navard Goltapeh and Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, both in their early 60s, were taken from their homes in the Tehran region on 6 February by intelligence agents and returned to Evin Prison, notorious for its mistreatment of prisoners.
A number of other Christians were reported to have been arrested at the same time.
Naser Navard Goltapeh, left, and Pastor Joseph Shahbazian [Image credit: Article18]
Naser, an Iranian Christian convert from Islam, was released in October 2022, mid-way through a ten-year sentence for “acting against national security”. His conviction was a result of his alleged links to churches and Christian groups outside Iran, as well as his role in running a “house church”.
During his time in prison Naser, a speaker of Farsi, the national language of the Muslim majority in Iran, wrote a letter from his prison cell questioning why worship in “house churches” is viewed as a threat to national security.
Christian worship meetings in Farsi are often targeted by the Iranian authorities in their efforts to discourage the conversion of Muslims to Christianity.
Pastor Joseph, an Iranian-Armenian, was released in September 2023 after spending 13 months in Evin Prison.
He was originally sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for holding church meetings in his home, thus “forming and operating illegal organisations with the aim of disrupting the security of the country”. The sentence was reduced to two years in May 2023.
Historic Assyrian and Armenian Christian minorities, who have their own languages not spoken by the Muslim majority, are usually allowed to worship freely in those languages.
Lift up in prayer our brothers Naser and Joseph. Ask the Lord to protect and strengthen them as they endure this latest test by the Iranian authorities. Pray that they will be freed swiftly from their unjust imprisonment.
