Iranian Christians are encouraged that the public prosecutor of the fourth branch of the Civil and Revolutionary Court of Dezful has given a written decision on why eight Christian converts will not be charged with any crime.
Hojjat Lotfi Khalaf, Esmaeil Narimanpour, Alireza Varak-Shah, Mohammad Ali (Davoud) Torabi were arrested in April and released two days later, having promised to comply with a summons to face criminal charges. Some other Christian converts were also summoned for questioning and several, including Esmaeil, were beaten during interrogation.
In July Hojjat, Esmaeil, Alireza, Davoud along with Alireza Roshanaei Zadeh, Masoud Nabi, Mohammad Kayidgap, and Mohsen Saadati Zadeh were summoned to the Revolutionary Court of Dezful to face charges of “propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran” – in accordance with Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code.
On 30 November the prosecutor provided a written decision that the eight converts will not be charged, stating that although apostasy is a crime under Sharia, it is not an offence according to the laws of Iran.
Prayer Points
Iranian Christians are thankful for this decision and that the eight converts will not be brought to court over this matter. They request prayer that:
- Conversion to Christianity will no longer be seen as a crime by the Iranian authorities
- Others facing similar charges will also have them dismissed
