A Christian couple in Iran has been sentenced to harsh prison terms, Morning Star News has reported.
Homayoun Zharev, 63, and his wife, Sara Ahmadi, 44, were arrested and detained at the Evin Prison in Teheran, the country’s capital on August 13.
According to rights groups, Evin Prison is notorious for its harsh treatment of people believed to be political enemies of the state.
The couple had earlier been arrested in June 2019 on the suspicion that they belonged to an illegal organisation. While Zharev spent a month in prison, Ahmadi spent 67 days.
A statement by the Christian Solidarity International earlier in the month quoted the Middle East Concern (MEC) as saying that in November 2020, Ahmadi was sentenced to 11 years imprisonment for allegedly leading a house church. Her husband received two years imprisonment for his membership of a house church.
MEC said the sentences comprise two-year ban on membership of any social or political group, a two-year ban on foreign travel and six months of community service.
Although the sentences were upheld by the court following an appeal, Ahmadi’s jail term was reduced to eight years in December of that year. However, they were asked to go home due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MEC said, “On August 13, Homayoun and Sara answered a summons to the prison, expecting to have confiscated property returned. Instead, they were both detained.
“Prayer is requested that their harsh sentences will be reviewed, especially since Homayoun is in poor health, and that they will be acquitted; and that the Iranian authorities will stop the persecution of their citizens for the peaceful expression of their faith.”
A couple of Christians are currently serving in prison for trumped-up charges because of their faith.
Morning Star News reports that a house church leader, Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, was on June 7 sentenced to 10 years in prison and is currently serving in Evin Prison.
The newspaper quoted the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) as saying that Pastor Shahbazian was accused of “founding and leading an organisation that aims to disrupt national security.”
Another Christian leader, Gholamreza Keyvanmanesh, is in Vakilabad Prison for converting to Christianity.
Keyvanmanesh and three other Christians, arrested in Neyshabur, faced charges of “acting against national security through propaganda against the regime” and “insulting the sacred” (blasphemy). The other three are in Neyshabur Prison.
Christians in the Middle East country are in minority and the authorities do not recognise the Christian converts. The converts are not allowed to attend churches of Armenian and Assyrian Christians, who are permitted to teach only in their ethnic tongues and not seek new members, according to Article 18.
Iran ranks among the countries of the world where it is difficult to practice Christianity and where Christians are most persecuted, according to Open Doors, a United States Christian watchdog organisation, in its 2022 report.
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