Iran pastor Fathi’s appeal fails, against extra year in prison and 74 lashes

Iran pastor Fathi’s appeal fails, against extra year in prison and 74 lashes
An Iranian pastor serving a six-year prison term has failed in his appeal against a further sentence of 74 lashes and an additional year in jail – for the alleged possession in his cell of two litres of alcohol. This latest news about Farshid Fathi was first reported by Iran-focused . . . Read More

Iranian pastor released from prison but others arrested same day remain

Iranian pastor released from prison but others arrested same day remain
After spending more than one year in prison, for ‘collusion against the [Iranian] government’ and ‘evangelism,’ Iranian pastor Rasoul Abdollahi has been released from prison. Abdollahi, a leader in Iran’s house church movement, was arrested Dec. 26 2010 and released last week, Feb. 16. His arrest was the same day . . . Read More

‘Your wife arrested, your father dead’

An imprisoned Iranian convert to Christianity has spoken of the “mental torture” he has experienced since his arrest in December 2010. Mohabat News reports that Farshid Fathi, who is serving a six-year jail term for being the “chief director of a foreign organisation in Iran and raising funds for [them]”, . . . Read More

Iranian Christians face ‘systematic persecution and prosecution’

Iranian Christians face ‘systematic persecution and prosecution’
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani greets his wife Fatemah after his release from prison in September 2012.Nadarkhani family for World Watch Monitor   Iran’s treatment of its Christian minority has come under fresh scrutiny in recent months with some damning verdicts on the country’s human rights record. Reports from the UK’s Foreign . . . Read More

Iranian authorities shut church in Tehran

Iranian authorities shut church in Tehran
Authorities in Iran this week ordered the closure of a church in the capital, Tehran, amid a government campaign to crack down on the few recognized churches offering Farsi-speaking services, according to a human rights group. The order came from Iran’s Revolutionary Guard’s Intelligence branch on Tuesday (June 5). The . . . Read More

Lawyer of Iranian pastor on death row faces prison

Lawyer of Iranian pastor on death row faces prison
The main defense lawyer for Iranian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who is appealing a death sentence, may be facing imminent imprisonment for defending the rights of Iranians, according to Amnesty International. Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, a prominent human rights activist, had been sentenced in July to a nine-year prison sentence and a . . . Read More

Churches forced to stop Farsi worship in Tehran, Iran

Churches forced to stop Farsi worship in Tehran, Iran
Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence has ordered the last two officially registered churches holding Friday Farsi-language services in Tehran to discontinue them. Emmanuel Protestant Church and St. Peter’s Evangelical Church were the last two official churches offering Farsi-language services on Fridays in Tehran, according to Middle East Concern (MEC). Officials issued . . . Read More