Iranian Christian Convert Faces Imprisonment

A 60-year-old Iranian Christian convert will begin serving a six-year prison sentence for purportedly "acting against national security by promoting 'Zionist' Christianity".

Mina Khajavi was arrested in 2020, and the sentencing took place in 2022, involving two other individuals: Christian convert Malihe Nazari, who received a six-year sentence, and Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian, sentenced to 10 years.

While Shahbazian and Nazari began serving their sentences a few months later, Khajavi was initially considered unfit for incarceration due to a car accident resulting in a severely broken ankle, necessitating the insertion of metal plates.

Despite enduring ongoing physical challenges, such as walking with a limp and developing arthritis, Khajavi was instructed on January 3, 2024, to report to Evin Prison within five days.

Both Shahbazian and Nazari, convicted on similar charges, secured early release. Shahbazian's sentence was initially reduced to two years by an appeal-court judge citing insufficient evidence under Article 498 of the Islamic Penal Code, related to organizing groups deemed a threat to national security. In September 2023, Shahbazian was fully pardoned and released. Nazari, freed earlier in 2023, reportedly gained her release due to her son's declining health, who was hospitalized with leukemia.

Activists are demanding the immediate and unconditional exoneration of Khajavi, who faces imprisonment solely based on her Christian faith. They are also urging Iran to cease the harassment of the Christian community and adhere to the November 2021 Supreme Court ruling that explicitly stated, "the promotion of Christianity and formation of a house-church is not criminalized in law" and should not be considered a threat to national security.