Tag: Tehran

‘So afraid I almost fainted’ – Iran Christian on brother’s arrest

November 11, 2016 Iran Converts, Evin Prison, Iran, Tehran

It was just another day at the office for accountant Sepideh*. The phone rang and Sepideh reached over her desk to answer it, not knowing that this call would be the start of years of worries. “Sepideh, quick!” The voice of her mother sounded nervous. “They arrested your brother and . . . Read More

Bishop’s wife saved husband from Iranian extremists, but lost her only son

November 11, 2016 Iran Ayatollah Khomeini, Iran, Isfahan, Mehdi Dibaj, Tehran

Margaret and her husband, the Bishop of Iran, lost their son in 1980 during the anti-Christian hostility of Iran’s Islamic Revolution.Dehqani-Tafti family A woman has just been buried by her husband in the grounds of Winchester Cathedral; famous figures such as Jane Austen lie inside it. Margaret Dehqani-Tafti, who . . . Read More

Tehran hosts 4th Christian-Muslim summit

November 8, 2016 Iran, Isfahan, Qom, Shia, Sunni, Tehran

Delegations from Sunni and Shia Islam, and Roman Catholic and Anglican churches gathered in the Iranian capital Tehran on Sunday for the 4th Christian-Muslim summit, . The summit finishes on 9th November. Afterwards, delegates will visit the Muslim pilgrimage cities of Qom and Isfahan. The international leaders are sharing ideas . . . Read More

Iranians still don’t know why they were arrested

September 28, 2016 Iran Amin Afshar Naderi, Amir Saman Dashti, Evin Prison, Hadi Asgari, Iran, Mohammad Dehnavi, Ramil Bet-Tamraz, Tehran

Five Iranian Christians in the Alborz Mountains north-east of Tehran still haven’t been told why they are being detained, nor have they been allowed any visitors – not even lawyers. Amin Afshar Naderi, Ramil Bet-Tamraz, Hadi Asgari, Mohammad Dehnavi and Amir Saman Dashti were arrested on 26 Aug. Their families . . . Read More

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

June 2, 2015 Iran Ayatollah Khamenei, Christmas, Church of Iran, Converts, Ebrahim Firouzi, Evin Prison, Farshid Fathi, Hassan Rouhani, Minorities, Prisons, Tehran

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

On trial in Iran for celebrating Christmas

May 28, 2015 Iran Assyrians, Christmas, Evin Prison, Iran, Proselytism, Tehran, Victor Bet-Tamraz

An Iranian pastor is expected to stand trial in Iran soon, five months after his arrest by security forces for “participating in an illegal gathering” as he celebrated Christmas. Victor Bet-Tamraz led the Tehran Pentecostal Assyrian Church before it was shut down by Iran’s Ministry of Interior in March 2009. . . . Read More

Iranian pastor released from prison but others arrested same day remain

February 27, 2015 Iran Armenians, Assyrians, Ayatollah Khamenei, Chaldeans, Evin Prison, Farshid Fathi, Hassan Rouhani, Iran, Islamic extremism, Religious freedom, Sunni, Tehran, Victor Bet-Tamraz

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

Iran breaks up post-Christmas service

December 30, 2014 Iran Assyrians, Christmas, Evin Prison, Iran, Tehran, Victor Bet-Tamraz

Two Christians were jailed and several others questioned after Iranian officials interrupted a Dec. 26 post-Christmas service in Tehran, . “Tens” of plain-clothed security officers, who identified themselves as agents of he Revolutionary Court, entered the home of an Assyrian Christian and declared their worship service to be “Unauthorized and . . . Read More

‘Martyred’ Iranian pastor remembered 20 years on

January 23, 2014 Iran Assemblies of God, Haik Hovsepian, Mehdi Dibaj, Tehran

Memorial services are being held in Tehran, London and California to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of Haik Hovsepian, an Iranian pastor hailed by many Christians as a martyr. Hovsepian vanished on January 19, 1994, three days after his protests helped to secure the release of fellow Iranian . . . Read More

Farsi speakers banned from church

January 3, 2014 Iran Armenians, Assemblies of God, Assyrians, Churches, Iran, Tehran

A church in Tehran has become the latest to close its doors to Farsi speakers. St. Peter’s Evangelical Church in the Iranian capital is preventing speakers of the country’s official language from attending following pressure from government officials, reports Mohabat News. Armenians and Assyrians will be permitted to attend the . . . Read More

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