By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Two men who abandoned Islam and turned to faith in Christ have been forced to flee Iran, where they were sentenced to 12 years in prison each on charges linked to possessing “multiple copies of the Bible,” Christians told Worthy News.
Mehdi Rahimi, 49, and Kia Nourinia, 55, who were at an undisclosed location Wednesday, received the verdict in April from an Islamic Revolutionary Court in their home city of Tabriz, northwest Iran.
They were sentenced under Article 500 of the Penal Code for “propaganda activity of deviant Christian Zionist beliefs opposed to the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Worthy News learned.
They were each sentenced to 10 years in prison for these charges. Additionally, the Christians were also convicted under Articles 22 and 24 of “smuggling prohibited goods,” referring to the Bibles for which they received an additional two years imprisonment each.
“On top of the prison sentences, they received fines equivalent to over $1,000 each, as well as being told they must pay the court 10 times the value of the Bibles in their possession,” confirmed Article18, a non-profit organisation advocating on behalf of its persecuted Christians.”
Trial observers said Judge Hassan Fathnezhad also sentenced them to 15 years of deprivation of social rights, such as group membership.
The difficulties began when the two Christians’ homes were raided by Ministry of Intelligence agents in November, as part of a broader operation that also targeted Christian converts in the cities of Tehran, Mashhad, and Bandar Abbas, Article18 said.
NOT RETURNING
It is understood that Rahimi, also known as Samuel, was outside Iran during the raid on his home and has not returned, while Nourinia fled the country after the raid.
“The Christians were therefore tried in absentia, with the only evidence against them being the Bibles and other Christian literature found in their homes,” Christians noticed.
In his verdict, the judge reportedly described the Bibles and other confiscated Christian literature as “deviant” and “misleading”.
He added that the confiscated books, as well as the Christians’ mobile phone and other electronic devices, would be given to the Ministry of Intelligence for their “research”.
Article18’s director, Mansour Borji, explained that the crackdown seems to be a new trend in the strict Islamic nation. “For the last few years, a new trend has emerged of Persian Bibles printed outside Iran being considered ‘smuggled goods’, to give Revolutionary Court judges additional weapons with which to penalise those involved in their distribution.”
He added: “In this case, the judge has reached his decision solely based upon a report by Ministry of Intelligence officers and without any other form of investigations, as the defendants were not available for interrogation.”
Christians, who urged prayers for the two men, suggested to Worthy News that Iran’s Islamic leaders are concerned about the spread of the Christian faith among Muslims.
‘UNDERMINING ISLAM’
“Unrecognised converts from Islam to Christianity face severe religious freedom violations, primarily from the government and, to a lesser extent, from society and their families,” added advocacy group Open Doors in an assessment.
“The government views these converts as a threat, believing they are influenced by Western countries to undermine Islam and the regime,” the group noted.
“Both leaders and ordinary members of Christian groups are often arrested, prosecuted, and given long prison sentences for ‘crimes against national security.”
Open Doors has ranked Iran 9th on its annual World Watch List of 50 nations where it says Christians face the most persecution for their faith.
It estimates there are at least 800,000 Christians in Iran, though some sources say it may be more than 1 million.
Elam Ministries, a mission group founded by Iranian church leaders, sees a Christian revival in the country. “In 1979, there were an estimated 500 Christians from a Muslim background in Iran. Today, there are hundreds of thousands—some say more than 1 million. Whatever the exact number, many Iranians are turning to Jesus as Lord and Savior.”
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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