A few weeks after the Revolutionary Guards arrested a number of Christian converts in various cities of Tehran province, their fate is still unknown.
According to Human Rights Activists of Iran, on Tuesday, January 25th, 2017, 13 activists and members of the parishes in Tehran, Ray and Pardis, namely Brother Vahik, David Isaayian, Amir Hossein Etelaie, Fariba Sharifi, Maryam Tavassoli, Vahid Zahraie, Hamed Emadi, Esa Mivitchi, Vahid Shirzad, Hadi Badzahr, Raouf Hosseinzadeh, Zahra Piriaei and one person with unknown identities were detained by IRGC intelligence agents and taken to unknown locations.
Immediately following the arrest of the aforementioned Christians, Iranian regime media reported images of dozens of Bible volumes, theological pamphlets, textbooks, and CDs being deposited and confiscated in the immediate aftermath of the arrest of Christians.
Reports say that after their arrest, their homes and some of their relatives have been raided and some items have been confiscated, including satellite receivers , PCs, books and CDs.
Frequent referrals of the detainees’ families to the security and judicial authorities have also failed, and concerns about the status and fate of the detainees have increased.
It should be noted that, as reported by the Fars news agency, the IRGC arrested “a large network” of Christian converts on Tuesday, January 25th, “in a series of sophisticated intelligence operations”.
The Revolutionary Guards claimed that the detainees were “religious deviants”, “evangelists,” and “evangelicals”, who, in addition to “propagating Christianity,” “agitated public opinion and deflected youth in public and on the Internet. ”
A report released by the Revolutionary Guards says that “Among the documents obtained from the detainees are various books on the propagation of Christianity, methods of networking, assisting, contacting foreigners and destroying the religion of Islam.”
In recent years, the pressure on Christian converts and activists in home churches in Iran has increased and dozens of Christian converts and evangelical activists have been arrested and convicted.
