Five Iranian Christians have been sentenced to a combined 50 years in prison for religious activities, including prayer, baptism and distributing Bibles, according to watchdog organizations.
All five, including two previously imprisoned men and three women, were convicted by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court under amended articles of Iran’s penal code, according to Article 18, a United Kingdom-based organization that monitors religious freedom in Iran.
The sentencing judge was Abolqasem Salavati, known for imposing lengthy terms in cases involving perceived threats to national security.
The court handed 10-year sentences to Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Aida Najaflou, and a third woman whose identity has not been made public.
Najaflou received an additional two years over social media posts, while Shahbazian’s wife, Lida, received eight years.
The five were accused of “gathering and collusion” and spreading “propaganda” against the Islamic Republic. The verdicts were reportedly not communicated to the defendants until late November and early December, although the hearing was in October.
All five have been given 20 days to appeal the ruling before the same court that convicted them.
Personal belongings, including Christian texts and Bibles, were confiscated from the defendants and assigned to the Ministry of Intelligence for examination. The action mirrors earlier cases in which Christians were imprisoned for similar charges and had religious materials seized by the state.
Both Shahbazian and Gol-Tapeh had previously served prison sentences for their involvement in Iran’s underground house-church networks, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. Gol-Tapeh was released in 2022 after nearly five years. Shahbazian was freed in 2023 after serving more than one year of a 10-year term before being re-arrested.
The state demanded what rights groups have called unprecedented bail amounts from several of the Christians.
Najaflou’s bail was set at approximately $130,000, and Gol-Tapeh’s at nearly $250,000. Shahbazian was never issued an official bail figure, though his family was misled into believing one had been set.
Najaflou, 44, suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and had recently undergone spinal surgery at the time of her arrest.
On Oct. 31, she fell from her top bunk in Evin Prison and fractured her spine. Although briefly taken to a hospital, she was returned to custody the same day without receiving full treatment. Her wounds later became infected, prompting another hospital visit on Nov. 16.
Her lawyer wrote on X, “Today, I shed tears for my aggrieved client Aida Najaflou, tears that had been in my heart for days and today flowed from my eyes during my visit to Evin Prison. I humbly request all judicial authorities of the country to come to the aid of this prisoner at risk of spinal cord severance.”
The indictment against the five included references to a 2010 speech by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, in which he called the spread of house churches a national security threat. The indictment described Protestantism and “Zionist Christianity” as synonymous and accused the defendants of serving foreign intelligence agendas.
The document stated that Shahbazian was “proud of his criminal activities” and aimed to fulfil “the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel.”
In Gol-Tapeh’s case, the indictment cited his distribution and storage of Bibles as part of “illegal evangelistic activity.” It included his own words: “This action is part of my faith as a Christian. I would like to learn Christian theology and share it with my loved ones in Christ.”
Article 18 reported that the trial process involved months of pre-trial detention.
Shahbazian, Gol-Tapeh and Najaflou were held for seven months before any court appearance.
Mansour Borji of Article18 said the case “bore many hallmarks of a lack of due process,” including prolonged detentions and the extreme bail conditions.
In March, Gol-Tapeh suffered a stroke following a hunger strike to protest his re-arrest. Shahbazian has also experienced health complications during his incarceration.
