In a harsh crackdown on religious freedom, an Iranian court has sentenced three Christian converts, including a pregnant woman, to a combined total of over 40 years in prison. The charges against them include “activities contrary to Islamic law,” “membership in opposition groups,” and “propaganda against the state.”
Narges Nasri, 37, who is about halfway through her pregnancy, received the harshest sentence of 10 years in prison for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” plus five more years for belonging to an “opposition group” and one year for “propaganda against the state.”
Abbas Soori, 48, was sentenced to 15 years in prison, including 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five years for belonging to an “opposition group.” Mehran Shamloui, 37, received an eight-year sentence for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second.
In addition to their prison sentences, the three Christians were also deprived of social rights, fined, and banned from joining any group or leaving the country.
The sentences are the latest example of Iran’s sharp regression in religious freedom, with the government increasingly cracking down on religious minorities, including Christians. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has called for Iran to be reclassified as a “nation of particular concern” for its systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom.
In a separate development, Christian woman Somayeh Rajabi was released from prison on March 8 after paying a bail of over $40,000. She had been arrested on 6 February during a raid on a prayer meeting in the province of Mazandaran.