2/26/2025 Iran (International Christian Concern) — Iranian authorities raided a gathering of roughly 80 Christian converts on Feb. 6 in northern Iran, and arrested Somayeh Rajabi, according to a report from Mohabat News.
Agents from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) stormed the gathering, which occurred in Gatab, and confiscated Bibles, phones, and musical instruments. Agents reportedly ripped crosses from individuals’ necks and forced the Christians to divulge the passwords to their electronic devices. According to Article 18, agents also stopped emergency medical assistance from reaching the Christians.
The day after her arrest, Rajabi was allowed one phone call to inform her family that she had been imprisoned in the town of Sari. Authorities have not yet announced formal charges against her.
The persecution of Christians in Iran is ongoing and severe. The Middle Eastern nation has a long and violent history of mistreating Christians.
The Iranian government is an Islamic republic wherein all legislation must adhere to Islam and Sharia law is implemented. Under the system, the death penalty is prescribed as punishment for insulting the Prophet Muhammad, and attempts to advocate for any religion other than Islam are criminalized. Additionally, the 2023 religious freedom report on Iran from the U.S. Department of State declares that Iranian “law, as typically interpreted, prohibits Muslim citizens from changing or renouncing their religious beliefs.”
According to International Christian Concern’s (ICC) Global Persecution Index, Iran’s Ministry of Justice “is swift to indict Christians on trumped-up national security charges. [Moreover], there is little due process in the Iranian judicial system, and those accused are often subject to the worst kinds of treatment while in custody.”
An ICC staffer explained that the violence against Christians doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
“Even as Christianity continues to grow in Iran, the theocratic regime ruling the country today shows few signs of easing its bloody campaign against Christians and other religious minorities,” the staffer stated.
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