Christian convert Iman Salehi is currently serving his sentence in Sheiban Prison, Ahvaz. He was previously sentenced by the Revolutionary Court to five years in prison and paying a fine.
Based on information received by HRANA, Mr. Salehi was arrested by security forces on December 24, 2024. Later, in late June of this year, he was sentenced by Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Fathinia, to five years in prison and a fine of 50 million tomans for “propaganda against the regime through promoting Zionist Christianity.” This Christian convert suffers from gum infection and has been denied specialized medical care in Sheiban Prison.
A source informed HRANA, “Iman Salehi, along with eight other Christian converts—Yasin Mousavi, Esmaeil Narimanpour, Hamid Afzali, Zohrab Shahbazi Nejad, Bijan Gholizadeh, Nasrollah Mousavi, Houshang Bagheri, and Farshad Arzan Barzin—are involved in a joint case. These individuals were separately arrested at the same time as Mr. Salehi and were later released on bail of 700 million tomans each, pending their appeal hearing. However, Iman Salehi remains in prison due to financial inability to post bail.”
The court session addressing their charges was held on May 27, 2024, in Branch 2 of the Ahvaz Revolutionary Court. Shortly after, the sentences for these Christian converts were issued. Following an appeal, their case has been referred to Branch 16 of the Appeals Court.
It is worth noting that Bijan Gholizadeh passed away in a car accident on August 24, 2024, on the Boroujen road in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province.
Iman Salehi, 38, the father of one child, and resides in Ahvaz. Before his arrest, he worked as a farmer.
While Christians are legally recognized as a religious minority in Iran, the conversion of Muslims to Christianity is closely monitored by security agencies, often resulting in severe repercussions for those involved.
This persecution persists despite Article 18 of both the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which guarantee the right to freedom of religion, including the right to change one’s faith and to practice it individually or collectively, publicly or privately.
