Christian families under 45 years of repression
"Children arrested during Christmas celebrations," "an elderly, sick mother deprived of her son's care," "families learning about the government-sanctioned murder of their loved ones," "a sick child who spends their life without their imprisoned father"—these are part of the ongoing cycle of pain and suffering endured by Christian converts and their families, whether Christian or non-Christian, young or old, that we remember on May 15, "International Day of Families."
**Children: From Arrest to Toy Confiscation**
Children and teenagers have often witnessed security forces raiding their homes and house churches since Persian-speaking Christians are not allowed to have church buildings, leaving Christian families with no other place to gather for Christmas, prayer, or Bible study but their own homes.
During these raids, security forces violate the privacy of these families. Besides confiscating mobile phones, Bibles, and anything related to Christianity, they also take completely personal items like photo albums and even children's toys.
Sanaz Karami, a Christian convert and former religious prisoner, in her testimony to Article 18, recounted how during a raid on her home, when she objected as a security officer took her son's Santa Claus toy from a snow globe, she was told, "It's a Christian symbol and must be confiscated."
Terrified children witness the arrest, interrogation, and even beating of their parents during these raids. Sometimes, security forces don't even spare these children. For example, on December 23, 2011, in Ahvaz, security forces raided a church with their faces covered, and even arrested the young children who were extremely frightened, treating them like adults. The Ahvaz church, like many other Persian-speaking churches, was forcibly shut down.
Hamed Farmand, an activist and researcher in children's issues, previously told Article 18 about the impact of these arrests and the violence of security forces on these children: "The effects of imprisonment can continue even after the parents are released. There are many cases where individuals were imprisoned for a few months, but their children were affected for a long time."
Ms. Karami also mentioned, "Our son, Daniel, still remembers all the painful memories of our arrest, even years later. Because of the arrest, he became extremely afraid of being alone. We couldn't leave him alone even for a few minutes."
The harassment of Christian converts' children and teenagers isn't limited to psychological aspects; there are testimonies of physical torture as well. Children are sometimes used as tools to pressure imprisoned Christian converts.
Nima, the teenage son of two Christian converts, Homayoun (Esmail) Shokoohi Gholamzadeh and Fariba Nazemianpour, was held in solitary confinement for 38 days and was severely beaten.
The interrogator told his imprisoned mother that if she didn't cooperate, Nima would be flogged. The nightmare continues even after release, with the government applying pressure on family members in various ways, economically by firing converts from their jobs, and socially by banning their children from education.