Iranian Christians continue to rejoice after Fariba Dalir was released from Evin Prison on 18 October. This follows the release of Naser Navard Goltapeh the previous day.
Fariba (52) was arrested along with five other Christians by agents of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in July 2021. She was kept in solitary confinement for 38 days before being transferred to Qarchak women’s prison in Varamin. On 18 November she was released on bail of 600 million tomans (then about US$22,000) pending a court decision.
Following a hearing on 29 November, 2021, Fariba was sentenced to five years in prison, which was reduced to two years after the judge acknowledged a mistake – he thought she had a previous criminal conviction.
Fariba started serving her sentence on 16 April, 2022. In August she applied for conditional release or temporary leave as permitted after completing one third of her sentence, but her request was rejected.
Prayer Points
On 18 October, to her family and friends’ joy, Fariba was released. They thank God for this answer to prayer and request further prayer that:
- Fariba – and Naser – will recover quickly from the trauma of prison and regain strength
- Others detained on account of their Christian faith and activities will be released
- A new day will dawn on Iran when the rights of all citizens will be respected, and Christians will be able to gather freely for worship
