I pray these amazing people consider it pure joy that they have been counted worthy to suffer for the name of Jesus Christ.
All five, including two previously imprisoned men and three women, were convicted by Tehran's Revolutionary Court under amended articles of Iran's penal code, according to Article 18, a United Kingdom-based organization that monitors religious freedom in Iran.
The sentencing judge was Abolqasem Salavati, known for imposing lengthy terms in cases involving perceived threats to national security.
The court handed 10-year sentences to Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, Aida Najaflou, and a third woman whose identity has not been made public.
Najaflou received an additional two years over social media posts, while Shahbazian's wife, Lida, received eight years.
The Christians were accused of "propaganda" against the Islamic theocracy that rules Iran, including "gathering and collusion."
What they actually did was tell people about the good news of Jesus Christ, baptize new believers, and hand out Bibles.
Pure evil, right?
Personal belongings, including Christian texts and Bibles, were confiscated from the defendants and assigned to the Ministry of Intelligence for examination.
God could do something really funny here - something He's done plenty of times before.
The intelligence agents tasked with investigating these "criminals" must thoroughly examine "Christian texts and Bibles"?
Both Shahbazian and Gol-Tapeh had previously served prison sentences for their involvement in Iran's underground house-church networks, according to the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern. Gol-Tapeh was released in 2022 after nearly five years. Shahbazian was freed in 2023 after serving more than one year of a 10-year term before being re-arrested.
The indictment against Shahbazian said he was "proud of his criminal activities" and would not stop fulfilling "the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel." ✊
In Gol-Tapeh's case, the indictment cited his distribution and storage of Bibles as part of 'illegal evangelistic activity.' It included his own words: 'This action is part of my faith as a Christian. I would like to learn Christian theology and share it with my loved ones in Christ.'
The three men were held in prison for 7 months before their trial. They have 20 days to appeal the ruling.
Iran persecutes Christians like this daily. There are too many cases for us to report on:
And yet, despite that persecution, Christianity is spreading rapidly across Iran (some missions organizations say it is the fastest-growing church in the world). Thousands of Iranians are even traveling out of the country to be secretly baptized at large conferences with fellow Iranian believers.
Christians like Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, and Aida Najaflou will be remembered for all of eternity, while the names of the self-important judges are forgotten.
Pray for what God is doing in Iran. 🙏
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