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Arrests and Murders of Iranian Christians-The Iranian Church Cries Out

Persecution of Christians in Iran

This is from a group of Iranian Christians. You can see the original post at Human Rights Iran Blog

It was translated into english by Garduneh Mehr and posted on The Jawa Report The translator’s notes are enclosed in square braces.]

In the Name of Liberty

In recent months we have witnessed persecution of religious minorities in Iran , including threats, [unlawful] arrests and murders. Our Christian compatriots are constantly targets of torment and harassment. The following describes a small portion of the murders, threats and arrests that Christian Iranians have been subjected to:

Murders:

  1. In 2005, Mr. Ghorban Tarani a Christian missionary was murdered under strange circumstances in the town of “Gonbad”.

Arrests:

  1. In the town of “Gorgaan” a church custodian was arrested and imprisoned on the charge of being a Christian. During his imprisonment he was subjected to constant interrogation.
  2. One of the parishioners of the Church in the town of “ Hamadan ” by the name Dr. Mehrdaad along with his wife and eight year old child were arrested and imprisoned by the agents of the government Ministry of Intelligence.
  3. In 2004, four parishioners of a Church in the town of “Chaa-Loos” were arrested by the agents of the regime and tried in “Revolutionary Court”; some were handed death sentences. The four were freed only after international pressure was brought to bear on the regime.
  4. In the town of “Chaa-Loos” a Christian family including their children (one thirteen year old and an eighteen year old) were arrested by the [regime’s] ministry of intelligence.
  5. In the town of “ Mashhad ” Ms. Freshteh Dibaaj daughter of Rev. Mehdi Dibaaj was arrested while in Church along with her husband and imprisoned by the [regime’s] ministry of intelligence. The two were interrogated for more than two weeks. The reader is reminded that this is the same “home Church” that was run by Rev. Say’yed Sudmand who himself was put to death for his faith. [“home church” refers to people converting their homes to churches and holding services there. It is worth noting that the prefix Say’yed in the name of Rev. Sudmand signifies that he is actually descended from the family of Mohammad and was convert to Christianity.]
  6. In the town of “Sanandaj” Mr. Ghane a parishioner of a home Church who had been repeatedly harassed and threatened by the agents of the regime was arrested; nothing is known about his fate.
  7. In the town of “Shahin-shahr” the spouse of one of our Christian compatriots was arrested and imprisoned where he was subjected to torture which result in him being hospitalized.

Families who inquire about their imprisoned children [and loved ones] are either told nothing or are threatened by the ministry of intelligence.

Some of the ways in which Christians are harassed are as follows:

  1. The agents of the regime videotape and photograph parishioners entering and leaving church services.
  2. Carrying more than one Bible with you is considered a crime.
  3. Importation and printing of religious texts are forbidden by the regime; and anyone involved in such activities is arrested.
  4. Active individuals receive threatening phone calls.

In the past years many of our Christian compatriots [Iranians] have, as a result of persistent persecution, been forced to abandon their homes and homeland and seek refuge in foreign lands.

[It is worth noting that the “Three Wise Men from the East” who foresaw the birth of Christ and worshipped the newly born Jesus were Iranian Magi. The Magi were the cast of the learned whose social function was to literate their fellow citizens in material and spiritual matters. Their line was brought to a brutal end by the Islamo-Arab hordes who believed that the only thing worth learning is the Qoran.]