Friends and family of Ramiel Bet Tamraz request prayer as he has been summoned to Evin Prison Tuesday (7 January) to serve a prison sentence.
On 26 August 2016 Ramiel, a Christian from an ethnic Assyrian background, was arrested with four Christian convert friends when security officials from the Ministry of Intelligence and Security raided their picnic. They were detained in Evin Prison, Tehran, where all five men endured long periods of solitary confinement and intense interrogation. All were eventually released on bail and have since received prison sentences of varying terms.
After a hearing on 18 June 2018 Ramiel was sentenced by judge Ahmadzadeh to four months’ imprisonment for “acting against national security” by joining house church gatherings. An appeal was unsuccessful. With time already served, Ramiel will serve the remaining two and a half months of his sentence in Evin Prison.
Ramiel is the third person in his family facing court proceedings on account of his Christian identity and actions. His mother, Shamiram Isavi Khabizeh, is appealing a five-year prison sentence for “acting against national security and against the regime by organising small groups, attending a seminary abroad and training church leaders and pastors to act as spies.” His father, pastor Victor Bet Tamraz, is appealing a ten-year prison sentence for “acting against national security.”
Prayer Points
Iranian Christians request prayer that:
- God will watch over Ramiel in prison and protect his heart. May he keep his joy and positive attitude and have spiritual encounters
- Ramiel’s wife will feel God’s closeness and know that she is carried by Him during this difficult time
- Ramiel’s family will be encouraged and kept in His love
- The Iranian authorities will stop their persecution of Christians, whether from religious minorities like Ramiel, or converts from other religions
