Written by Stefan van der Berg
In the past two years, Iranian authorities have sentenced at least 118 Christians to a combined 306.5 years in prison — a sixfold increase that signals a sharp escalation in religious persecution, according to Article 18 and Open Doors International. This week, a Tehran appeals court upheld the convictions of five Christian converts accused of “propaganda” for engaging in faith-based activities.
The five men — Hessamuddin Mohammad Junaidi, Abolfazl
Ahmadzadeh-Khajani, Morteza Faghanpour-Saasi, and two others whose names remain
undisclosed — were arrested in June 2024 during coordinated raids on their
homes and workplaces in Varamin and Pishva, towns southeast of the capital.
Their charges stem from activities that, in most democracies, would be
considered routine expressions of belief: attending online church services,
participating in Christian training courses abroad, and distributing religious
literature.
Each was sentenced to seven and a half years for “propaganda contrary to Islamic law due to overseas connections,” and an additional seven months for “propaganda against the system.” Faghanpour-Saasi received a further 17 months for allegedly insulting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on social media — a charge that sources say followed a period of physical torture during his detention in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.
The convictions were upheld by Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeal Court on September 17, despite reports that the men were pressured to recant their faith in exchange for leniency. Next week, all five are expected to appear before a civil court to face new charges of “insulting Islamic sanctities” — a case reportedly linked to their presence in a Zoom meeting where a Christian leader abroad made comments deemed critical of Islam.
Iran ranks 9th on the Open Doors World Watch List 2025 — placing it among the top ten countries with extreme persecution of Christians. While the state officially recognizes historic Christian communities such as Armenians and Assyrians, they are often treated as second-class citizens and banned from preaching in Persian. Converts from Islam — who make up the majority of Iran’s Christian population — face the harshest penalties, viewed as apostates and threats to national security.
In August, the Ministry of Intelligence accused 53
Christians of espionage, airing footage of Bibles and religious materials
allegedly smuggled into the country. “The clear suggestion being made here is
that all Evangelical Christians are associates of Mossad,” said Article 18
Director Mansour Borji.