The Islamic Revolution of 1979 created the world’s only Shiite Islamic theocracy and profoundly changed every aspect of life in Iran. Today, many of those who committed their lives to Islam are filled with despair. This disillusionment has opened new doors for the gospel, which is sweeping across the nation via Christian media projects and bold evangelists in Iran’s growing house church movement. However, the government continues its attempts to thwart this move of God. Christian leaders and pastors are often arrested, tortured and imprisoned, and their families are harassed.
Two Christians in their 60s who were ‘pardoned’ and released after a combined six years in prison on charges related to their leadership of house churches have been re-arrested and taken to Evin Prison.
According to sources, Naser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian were both re-arrested by intelligence agents at their homes in the Tehran region on the morning of 6 February and taken back to the city’s notorious Evin Prison.
Both remained detained at the time of writing and Naser is apparently refusing to eat in protest of his unlawful re-arrest. Sources report that a number of other Tehran Christians were also arrested at the same time and remain in custody.
The reason for the arrests remains unclear, but the situation evokes memories of the pleas of the former prisoners of conscience who inspired the Place2Worship campaign by asking:
“When I am released, will you put me back in prison again because I continue to believe in Christ? Will I be separated from my family again? Will I still be threatened with exile?”
Joseph and Naser’s cases are among the most high-profile detentions of Christians in recent years, with both sentenced to 10 years imprisonment on charges amounting to “actions against national security”, due to their involvement in house churches.
Naser, who is 63 years old, was released in October 2022 after nearly five years in prison, while Joseph, who is 60, was released the following September after spending just over a year in Evin.
Joseph is Iranian-Armenian, while Naser is a Muslim background believer. Their re-arrests show once again how both groups remain potential targets of the Iranian authorities.
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