Intimidation and fear: the persecution of Christians in Iran 11/04/2012
The struggle of Iran’s Christians
The persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been well documented in recent times, but nowhere is this more evident than in Iran, a country known for its flagrant abuse of international human rights standards, and its oppression of groups and individuals who are viewed as a threat. Iranian Christians constitute one of these groups and their situation continues to get worse. At the time of writing, a 35-year-old pastor faces the death penalty and various other church leaders and lay Christians have been imprisoned in a continuing crackdown. It is a worrying time for Christians in Iran, and the international community should take notice of their current plight.
What is the situation of Christians in Iran?
Since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Christians and other minorities have faced hostility from a theocratic state. The degree of hostility ebbs and flows, depending on who has ascendancy in the ruling regime.
Although Christians are recognised as a minority religion along with Jews and Zoroastrians, there are only a small number of government-sanctioned churches where Christians are permitted to worship, known as ‘official churches’. Any worship outside of these designated churches is deemed to be illegal. However, members of these churches are closely monitored by the police. As a result of this, many Christians are forced into meeting in their homes in groups called ‘house churches’ or ‘underground churches’ in order to practise their faith freely.
Increased crackdown since 2009 elections
Since the 2009 elections, there has been an increasing crackdown on Christians, and those who meet in house churches have been especially targeted. This crackdown has been accompanied by anti-Christian rhetoric from various state officials, including the Supreme Leader and the Governor of Tehran.
There is particular vitriol directed at those who have converted from Islam. As part of the current repression, this group is being particularly denigrated as the outcome of a western orchestrated campaign against Iran. This has resulted in a campaign to rid the country of Christians, using such false charges as “action against the state” or “action against the order”. Christians are experiencing intense persecution characterised by waves of mass arrests, detentions and trials of pastors and church members across the country.
The current persecution is indiscriminate, with men and women, children and the elderly all suffering detention. Many are held in solitary confinement, often for months without being charged and with limited or no access to their families. Most are held in inhumane conditions and are tortured. Some are temporarily released on the condition that they post exorbitant bail payments – often upwards of £100,000. This often means that families are left financially destitute in order to secure the release of relatives.
Government approved churches targeted
Although much of the persecution was initially focused on members of house churches, recent cases point to the targeting of government-approved churches. There have been raids on the Assemblies of God (AOG) denomination, and two Anglican churches have seen their leaders arrested and imprisoned without charge. In addition, two Anglican churches in Tehran have been ordered to stop conducting their services in Farsi on a Friday, in a move that is designed to reduce attendance, as Friday is the primary day of the weekend, as opposed to Sunday, which is a working day in Iran.
The message is clear: Christians are not free to practise their faith in Iran and profession of this faith will not be tolerated; in other words, those wishing to practice their faith freely will have to leave the country, and many are being forced to make that choice.
Cases of concern
The case of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, the 35-year-old pastor on death row is especially worrying. The Pastor was initially arrested in late 2006 on charges of apostasy and evangelism but released a few weeks later. He was arrested again in October 2009 for questioning the Islamic monopoly of state education and has been held in Lakan Prison ever since. In October 2010, he was sentenced to death for apostasy, which led to international condemnation. The death sentence is even more shocking when one considers that it is not prescribed for apostasy in the Iranian Penal Code,despite many recent attempts to make apostasy punishable by death. Pastor Nadarkhani remains in prison despite being offered various opportunities to secure his freedom by recanting his faith, which he has refused to do. His case is important because if he is executed, this could set a precedent for the Iranian authorities in cases involving other converts from Islam.
Farshid Fathi Malayeri, was arrested in December 2010 in Boxing Day raids that targeted a large number of Christians across Iran. He was kept in solitary confinement for a large part of his incarceration and was refused bail even after raising the equivalent of £120,000. He remains in prison more than 27 months after his arrest, was only recently brought to trial, and a verdict on his case is pending.
Benham Irani, a pastor from Karaj, was tried for ‘action and against the state’ and ‘action against the order’, and was imprisoned for five and one years respectively in 2011. In the verdict it was also made clear that he was an apostate, and therefore "could be killed". He is held in Ghazal Hesar Prison which, according to sources, is the worst prison in Iran. He has been beaten by fellow prisoners, who have been informed he is an apostate, in a possible attempt to ensure that he is killed there. He is currently reported to be in very bad health.
Working for freedom in Iran
As well as the global campaign and advocacy efforts to secure the release of Pastor Nadarkhani, CSW regularly raises religious freedom issues with international politicians and decision-makers. Speaking up on behalf of Iran’s religious minorities, including seven imprisoned Baha’i leaders, we present evidence of persecution to the UN, EU and the UK and US Governments.