An Iranian Christian who fled a decade-long prison sentence for participating in a house church was deported from Turkey and arrested on arrival in Iran. The 37-year-old man had attempted to travel from Turkey to Europe after fleeing Iran earlier this year.
Mehran Shamloui, a convert from Islam, was arrested by Turkish authorities in Istanbul while attempting to leave for Europe without valid travel documents. He was deported to Mashhad in northeastern Iran, where he was taken into custody by Iranian security forces on arrival, Middle East Concern reported.
Shamloui had left Iran earlier this year after he and two fellow converts were handed heavy prison sentences on March 8 by a Revolutionary Court in Tehran. The charges stemmed from their Christian beliefs and participation in house churches. The same verdict sentenced Shamloui to over 10 years in prison and fined him 250 million tomans ($2,750), according to Barnabas Aid.
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Iranian authorities accused him of “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” which earned him an eight-year sentence, and “membership of an opposition group,” a charge that added two years and eight months.
The court also imposed an 11-year ban on his access to social rights, including employment, healthcare and education.
Shamloui was arrested in November 2024 during a series of coordinated raids by intelligence agents on Christian homes in Tehran. Two other converts, Abbas Soori, 48, and Narges Nasri, 37, were also detained. Officials confiscated Bibles, crosses and musical instruments during the raids, according to Article 18.
The three were held in Ward 209 of Tehran’s Evin Prison, a facility controlled by the Ministry of Intelligence, and interrogated extensively before being released on bail of over $20,000 each in December 2024. Their trial took place in February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court, where they were charged under Articles 499, 500 and 500 bis of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code, which target dissident activity and religious conversion.
Nasri, who was pregnant at the time of her sentencing, received the harshest punishment. She was sentenced to 10 years for “propaganda activities,” five years for belonging to an “opposition group,” and an additional year for “propaganda against the state,” a charge linked to her online support for the Women, Life, Freedom movement. She was also barred from residing in Tehran province or leaving the country for two years post-release, and sentenced to 15 years of social rights deprivation.
Soori received 15 years in prison — 10 years for propaganda and five for house church involvement — along with a 15-year ban on social rights and a heavy fine. Both he and Nasri were also prohibited from joining any group or organization.
On April 23, the 36th branch of the Tehran Appeals Court rejected their appeals. The court cited the “scope of their activities and their harmful effects” as reasons for upholding the convictions.
The defendants were notified on April 26 that they had five days to report to Evin Prison to begin serving their sentences. By then, all three had already left the country, Barnabas Aid stated.
Following his deportation from Turkey, it remains uncertain whether Shamloui will serve his term at Evin Prison. On June 23, the prison was damaged in an Israeli airstrike, and many inmates have since been transferred to other facilities.
Iran ranks ninth on the World Watch List published by Open Doors, which tracks global persecution of Christians. Despite continuing arrests and prosecutions, the number of converts in Iran is reported to be growing.
