The U.S. State Department has classified Iran as a “country of particular concern” for “having engaged in or tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.”
“Christian convert dies while awaiting result of appeal against prison sentence,” Article 18, August 28, 2024:
One of the eight Christian converts recently sentenced to a combined 45 years in prison for their involvement in house-churches has died in a road traffic accident.
Bijan Gholizadeh, who was a father to three daughters, was killed on Saturday, 24 August, while driving his truck on the Borujen Road south of Isfahan.
According to Iranian Christian website Mohabat News, Bijan was only recently released on bail after nearly six months’ detention, including 20 days in solitary confinement.
Bijan was one of at least 46 Christians arrested over the Christmas period.
He was arrested on Christmas Eve in the city of Izeh, in Khuzestan province.
On 27 May, Bijan was sentenced to five years in prison for “propaganda against the regime through the promotion of ‘Zionist’ Christianity” as a result of his membership of a house-church, which was labelled a “group that intends to disrupt national security”….
