"A QUARTER OF IRANIAN CHRISTIANS ARRESTED FOR THE BIBLE"

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post Reporter Monday, February 19, 2024 Iranian Christians attend the New Year mass at the Saint Targmanchats Armenian Church in Tehran on January 1, 2023. | Atta Kenare/AFP via Getty Images 

According to a new report from a leading organization that oversees persecution, Christians in Iran will face a wave of arrests in 2023 as the government appears to be targeting Bible distributors specifically. A third of the arrested had a large number of copies of the Bible.

On Monday, groups supporting Article 18, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, and Middle East Concern, released a joint 2024 annual report. The report details the various ways the Iranian regime targets certain religious communities, including Christians, by arresting, fining, and flogging them.

The report states that the number of Christians arrested in 2023 is comparable to previous years, with 166 arrests reported in 2023 and 134 in 2022. However, fewer names and faces can be made public.

The report states that the arrests took place in "waves". Before June, police arrested several people, increasing to more than 100 arrests over the summer and "further arrests over Christmas." 

Reports indicate that some of the arrested people agreed to disclose their cases, increasing the number of "faceless victims".

The report states that at least 17 Christians arrested during the summer of 2023 have received prison sentences of between three months and five years, or non-prison sentences such as fines, flogging, and in one case Community Service digging graves, on charges of 'propaganda against the state'.

The director of the London news organization Article 18, which oversees persecution in Iran, Steve Dew-Jones told The Christian Post that he does not believe that the arrest in 2023 occurred months before the anniversary of Mahsa Amini's death.

In 2022, demonstrations erupted in Iran after the Islamic Republic's "morality police" arrested 22-year-old Mahsa Amini for wearing her hijab inappropriately. Beaten to death, the young woman ended up dying in custody.

"We believe it was intentional," Dew-Jones told CP, noting that Christians who had just been released from prison were asked to avoid any demonstrations. "The regime has methods to stay in power, and they are very ruthless."

According to the Open Doors' World Watch List, conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal in Iran, and anyone known to be a member of a house church can be charged with national security violations and sentenced to long prison terms. Although traditional Christian communities, such as Armenian or Assyrian Christians, are usually better received, they are often considered "second-class citizens".In addition, Iranians are prohibited from supporting Christians who renounce Islam or reading the Bible in Farsi, the country's official language.

The news director replied that the difficult question to answer is whether the situation of Christians in Iran has become worse after Amini's death. Although the numbers in the report increased over the past year, Dew-Jones stated that this could be due to more arrests or better documentation of arrests.

The Advocate stated that the level of persecution had been "fairly consistent" since 2009—the year when the regime imposed increasingly stringent controls on churches. Dew-Jones stated that although since then, things for Christians do not seem to have improved, he cannot confirm whether things have worsened.

According to the news director, one of the most surprising trends is the targeting of Bible distributors. Studies show that more than a third of arrests target people who have multiple copies of the Bible.

"I never assumed that it would happen as much as last year, so it was a surprise for me," he said. "We have been documenting these cases for years."

In another section of the report, it is discussed how many Christians report that after being released from prison, they continue to experience harassment and surveillance. One witness cited in the report said an intelligence agent often watched their home, while another witness recalled the interrogator's "pathetic"phone calls.

The report states that more subtle scrutiny could be applied to other Christians, such as constant surveillance of online activity. "Several Christians have testified that during their interrogations they were surprised to see piles of prints of personal emails or other telecommunications, which were then brought before the judge as evidence of their Christian activities."

The report also cited other types of discrimination, such as job rejections, new allegations, and reopened cases, all of which "make it increasingly difficult for Christians to remain in Iran."

The advocacy group's report includes suggestions for the Islamic Republic of Iran and steps the international community should take to hold Iran accountable.

The report called on the Iranian government to "immediately and unconditionally release Christians detained on charges related to their religious beliefs or activities. In addition, the advocacy group called on Iran to clarify "where Persian-speaking Christians can worship freely in their mother tongue, without fear of arrest or prosecution."

According to the report, the international community should hold Iran accountable "for failure to meet its obligations under international law."Countries accepting refugees are also asked to speed up the resettlement for Iranian Christians currently living in Turkiye, where there is a high risk of rejection.

You can contact Samantha Kamman, a reporter for the Christian Post, at the address samantha.kamman@christianpost.com and you can follow him on Twitter: @ Samantha_Kamman.

News Sources : https://www.christianpost.com/news/iran-targeted-bible-distributors-during-2023-wave-of-arrests.html