ICC Note: An Iranian prisoner who had been convicted of “disrupting national security” and propaganda against the regime for meeting together as Christians was conditionally released from prison. Kourosh was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison after being arrested in early 2012 and tried eight months later. The conditional release is not an indication of pardon, but a procedural option available once prisoners have served at least half of their prison sentence.
05/19/2014 Iran (Mohabat News) – One of the four Christian convert prisoners in Adel-Abad prison, Kourosh, who had been sentenced to three years and eight months in prison, was conditionally released. In another report, another prisoner, Vahid Hakkani, who had gone on a hunger strike to protest the court’s verdict for him and his fellow believers, broke his strike.
According to Mohabat News, Mohammad-Reza Partoei, also known as Kourosh, a Christian convert prisoner, was conditionally released from prison. Following this event, another Christian prisoner, Vahid Hakkani, broke his hunger strike. He had gone on a hunger strike to protest the court’s verdict for him and his fellow Christian prisoners.
Iranian laws allow a “conditional release” if a convict has fulfilled half of his/her prison term. A conditional release should not be interpreted as an act of forgiveness or mercy by the judicial system, rather it has been mentioned as a prisoner’s right, if he/she meets certain conditions.
Reports received by Mohabat News state, Kourosh’s family has been following up on his case during the past four months in Shiraz courts and now they their efforts have resulted in his release. A Revolutionary Court had sentenced Koroush and three other Christian prisoners to three years and eight months in prison for their Christian faith and participating in a house-church.
These Christians’ initial trial was held on October 15, 2012, eight months after their arrest. Judge Rashidi was their judge in the Revolutionary Court of Shiraz. Their second trial was held in the same court on December 28, 2012.
Later, Branch 15 of the Fars province appeals court confirmed a total sentence of 20 years for Mr. Koroush and five other Christian converts. The court announced their charges as participating in house-church services, evangelism, contact with foreign Christian ministries, propaganda against the Islamic regime and disrupting national security.
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