Two Iranian Christians freed from prison!
An Iranian Christian couple who were serving prison time for being part of a house church were acquitted this week by an Iranian appeal court.
Homayoun Zhaveh, 64, and his wife Sara Ahmadi, 45, walked out of Tehran’s Evin prison on May 9 after the Court of Appeal ruled that there was nothing criminal about their meetings with fellow Christians and having Christian literature in their home [Article18].
In November 2020, a court sentenced Homayoun and Sara to two and eleven years in prison, respectively, for being part of and leading a house church.
Homayoun Zhaveh, 64, and his wife Sara Ahmadi, 45, walked out of Tehran’s Evin prison on May 9 after the Court of Appeal ruled that there was nothing criminal about their meetings with fellow Christians and having Christian literature in their home [Article18].
In November 2020, a court sentenced Homayoun and Sara to two and eleven years in prison, respectively, for being part of and leading a house church.
On appeal, one month later, Sara’s prison sentence was reduced to eight years as the court upheld the maximum sentence that she received for one of the charges. The sentencing was particularly difficult as Homayoun suffers from advanced Parkinson’s disease.
The judges of the 34th branch of the Tehran’s court of Appeal, however, did not find them guilty of any of the charges. This includes the charge of acting against the country’s security, something the Iranian regime has used before to target religious minorities.
The judges of the 34th branch of the Tehran’s court of Appeal, however, did not find them guilty of any of the charges. This includes the charge of acting against the country’s security, something the Iranian regime has used before to target religious minorities.
“The reports by the officers of the Ministry of Intelligence about organisation of home-groups to promote Christianity, membership, and participation in home-groups, are not considered as acts against the country’s security, and the law has not recognised them as criminal activity,” the judges said in the ruling.
While this was a joyful day, “no one should be subjected to the torture they have endured,” said Article18’s Advocacy Director Mansour Borji in a response to the verdict.
He said he was grateful for the few judges who acknowledged the rights of Christians but pointed out how “[t]his latest verdict demonstrates yet again the arbitrary nature of the ruling that has sent a considerable number of Christians to prison, many of them suffering from the effects of their trauma years later”.
While this was a joyful day, “no one should be subjected to the torture they have endured,” said Article18’s Advocacy Director Mansour Borji in a response to the verdict.
He said he was grateful for the few judges who acknowledged the rights of Christians but pointed out how “[t]his latest verdict demonstrates yet again the arbitrary nature of the ruling that has sent a considerable number of Christians to prison, many of them suffering from the effects of their trauma years later”.
