3/7/2025 Iran (International Christian Concern) — Iranian authorities rearrested two Christian men, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh in Parand and Joseph Shahbazian in Tehran, at their respective homes on Feb. 6, and transferred them to Evin Prison.
Charges haven’t been formally announced and the reason for the arrests remains unknown.
Both men, who are in their 60s, were previously imprisoned for their involvement in Christian house churches but had been released.
Gol-Tapeh received a 10-year prison sentence in 2017 for “acting against national security through the formation and establishment of illegal house churches,” but received a pardon in 2022. That same year, Shahbazian was sentenced to two years in prison, down from 10, for being involved in a Christian house church, and was pardoned in 2023 after serving a little over a year in jail.
According to the Center for Human Rights in Iran (ICHRI), Christians in the nation aren’t safe from persecution, even inside their homes.
“Christians in Iran are prohibited from building new places of worship and are often forced to gather in their homes, known as ‘house churches,’ the ICHRI stated. “However, even in the privacy of their residences, they remain targeted by authorities.”
Iran is an Islamic Republic where rules and legislation must adhere to Islamic principles. The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) stated in a 2024 report that “in 2023, religious freedom conditions in Iran remained extremely poor.” The report also found that “between June and July [2023], security forces arrested at least 69 Christians across 11 cities.”
Continued, egregious persecution and targeting of Christians for their faith remains ongoing in Iran. Christ followers are harassed and face the fear of imprisonment for following their faith. As of 2023, the nation was listed on the U.S. Department of State’s Countries of Particular Concern list for severe religious freedom violations.
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