HRANA – The Tehran Province Court of Appeals has upheld the prison sentences of five Christian converts, four of whom have been identified as Aida Najaflou, Nasser Navard Gol-Tappeh, Joseph Shahbazian, and Lida Alexsani (Alek-Sani). The five had previously been sentenced by the Tehran Revolutionary Court to a combined total of 55 years in prison.

According to a report by Article 18, the Tehran Province Court of Appeals recently issued its ruling, fully affirming the original verdicts. The decision was officially communicated to the defendants on June 22, 2026.

In December 2025, the Tehran Revolutionary Court had sentenced the defendants. Under the ruling, Nasser Navard Gol-Tappeh, Joseph Shahbazian, and another Christian convert involved in the case were each sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment, while Lida Alexsani received eight years in prison. Aida Najaflou was sentenced to a total of 17 years’ imprisonment. However, under Article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which provides for the enforcement of only the most severe sentence in cases involving multiple convictions, she will serve 10 years, the longest of her sentences.

The first hearing in the case against Aida Najaflou, Nasser Navard Gol-Tappeh, and Joseph Shahbazian was held on September 6, 2025, in Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by Abolghasem Salavati. They defended themselves against charges of “propaganda against the regime” and “acting against national security.”

The indictment was issued by the Evin Prosecutor’s Office on June 10, 2025. According to the final indictment, the charges were based on establishing, organizing, and leading a house church, conducting evangelical Christian house gatherings, and performing religious ceremonies such as baptism and Holy Communion.

Lida Alexsani was arrested at her home by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence on April 13, 2025. On May 13, 2025, she was released from Evin Prison after posting bail.

Aida Najaflou was also released from Evin Prison on bail on December 21, 2025. She had previously been transferred on April 13, 2025, from The Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison, to the prison’s women’s ward. She had originally been arrested by security forces on February 6, 2025.

Nasser Navard Gol-Tappeh and Joseph Shahbazian, who were arrested on the same date and transferred to Evin Prison, remain in custody.

Both Nasser Navard Gol-Tappeh and Joseph Shahbazian, Christian converts residing in Tehran, have previously been arrested and imprisoned because of their religious activities.