Bent on suppressing Christianity in Iran, Islamic courts handed down six times more prison time to persecuted Christians in 2024 than the previous year, according to advocacy group Article 18.
Iranian courts last year sentenced 96 Christians across the country to 263 years in prison for practicing their faith — compared with 22 Christians sentenced to a total of 43 years in 2023, the group stated Monday (Jan. 20) in its annual report.
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The increase in years of prison happened largely as cases from a 2023 crackdown on home churches finally worked their way through the Iranian legal system at the same time courts handed down lengthy sentences to five Christians, according to the report, entitled, “The Tip of the Iceberg.” Four converts were sentenced to 10 years each in prison for “engaging in missionary activities” and “conducting activities against national security.” Another Christian was given a 15-year prison sentence for “undermining national security and promoting Zionist Christianity.”
At least 139 Christians were arrested last year on issues related to their faith. Those arrested increasingly found themselves charged under Article 500, amended in 2021 to include longer prison sentences. The Iranian judicial system also handed down nearly $800,000 in fines in an attempt break the backs of “dissident” church groups, according to the report.
Beyond public knowledge
Article 18 cautioned that religious freedom violations in Iran are actually much greater than is publicly known. Article 18 and other advocacy groups analyzed data following the release of more than 3 million case files from the Tehran judiciary that were heard between 2008 and 2023. The files were obtained and released in 2024 by the “hacktivist” group Edalat-e Ali.
The report included more than 300 legal files of Christians who faced charges for their faith, including many cases that were previously unknown. There are likely still undiscovered cases of Christian prisoners of conscience, according to the report.
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EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written and originally published by Morning Star News.
