Iranian converts begin jail sentences

Three Christian converts in Iran have been imprisoned for two years because of their involvement in a house church – a further sign that persecution in the nation continues to intensify.

Hannah Golami, Daniel Mohammadi and Teymur Hosseini (an Afghan convert) were sentenced for “forming” and “membership” of a “group or association with the aim of disrupting national security” after the authorities carried out raids on house churches and homes, according to Article 18. Another believer has also been handed a year’s sentence for “aiding and abetting” the others.

The Iranian authorities regard many house churches as opposed to the state, and converts are barred from them even when they are their only option for worship. They have appealed against their sentences and applied for retrials at the Supreme Court, but these have been rejected.