Annual Report: Arrests of Christians in Iran Have More Than Doubled

This 25-page report, prepared in collaboration with "Open Doors," "Christian Solidarity," and "Middle East Concern," was released on the same day as the 44th anniversary of the murder of Priest Aristotelos Siah, the first priest killed by the Iranian government due to his religious beliefs. He was killed on February 19, 1979, just eight days after the victory of the Iranian Revolution.

The report emphasizes that while it is no longer common for Iranian Christians to be killed for their faith, evidence clearly shows that religious freedom is still violated in Iran, contrary to the claims of the Iranian government.

The annual report states that, although Christianity is one of the officially recognized religions under the Iranian Constitution, both recognized Christians (such as Armenians and Assyrians) and converts whose faith is not recognized by the government are still systematically deprived of freely practicing their religious rites. This constitutes a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which the Iranian government has signed.

The joint report from these human rights organizations highlights that at the center of the nationwide protests in Iran following the death of Mahsa Amini, the call for freedom was clear: freedom for the Iranian people to live in accordance with their beliefs.

The report adds that while the Iranian regime has consistently downplayed these uprisings, both Armenian and Assyrian Christians and Christian converts are among those arrested for participating in the protests.

Aside from the protests, in 2022, as in previous years, Christians faced harassment, arrest, and imprisonment solely for peacefully practicing their religious rites.

According to the report, at least thirty Christians were imprisoned or exiled last year, which does not show a decrease from 2021. However, the number of arrests of Christians in Iran more than doubled from 59 in 2021 to 134 in 2022.

The report emphasizes that practicing any religion other than Shia Islam is considered a threat to the Iranian government. For example, two Iranian Christians were sentenced to ten years in prison last year for conducting religious ceremonies in their home church.

Additionally, a 64-year-old man with advanced Parkinson's disease, who converted to Christianity, along with his wife, was sentenced to a total of ten years in prison and is currently serving his sentence.

In early February, the European Parliament held a session on the situation of persecuted Christians to mark the release of the annual report by the global Christian organization "Open Doors." The focus of this year's conference was Iran, with guest speakers including several European Parliament members and "Open Doors" representatives, as well as Dabirina Bet Tamraz, daughter of Pastor Victor Bet Tamraz, and Shamiram Eshoi.

According to "Open Doors," one in every ten Christians faces discrimination and persecution, totaling 360 million people.

The recent report from "Open Doors" revealed that around 4,500 Christians were imprisoned last year, with 80 of them being in Iran. India and Eritrea topped this list.

This year’s report from the Christian organization recognized Iran as the eighth most "Christian-persecuting" country in the world.