“Christian convert in Iran sentenced to 15 years in prison,” Open Doors, June 20, 2024:
The church in Iran continues to see extraordinary growth – but it’s coming at a huge cost.A Christian convert in Iran has been given a 15-year prison sentence for ‘undermining national security and promoting Zionist Christianity’.
Yasin Mousavi from Izeh, south west of the capital Tehran, has been accused of two ‘crimes’. The first is ‘membership in disruptive groups’, which centres around his involvement in a Christian organisation; the sentence for this is ten years. The other five years is for ‘anti-regime propaganda’, which is for actively participating in protests in 2021 over deteriorating living conditions.
Yasin was amongst those arrested in a crackdown on Christian activities over Christmas last year. He spent 20 days in solitary confinement, followed by five months in Sheiban Prison. He was released on bail on 1 May, before being sentenced on 27 May. Yasin has previously spent time in prison in 2017 and 2021.
Several other Christian converts arrested in Izeh last year have also received harsh sentences. Hamid Afzali has been sentenced to 10 years, Nasrollah Mousavi and Bijan Qolizadeh to five years each, Zohrab Shahbazi to nine months, and Iman Saleh to five years. Two other unnamed converts have each been sentenced to two years….
