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Iranian evangelical pastor could face death penalty

Behnam Irani being held in solitary confinement despite health problems
Iranian evangelical pastor could face death penalty

Behnam Irani is facing 18 new charges (Photo: Present Truth Ministries)

Published: September 08, 2014 07:45 AM GMT
Updated: September 08, 2014 05:52 PM GMT

An evangelical Iranian pastor serving a six-year prison term for his Christian activities is facing 18 new charges, including "spreading corruption on Earth", which carries the death penalty, Christian rights activists say.

Behnam Irani, who led the 300-member Church of Iran congregation in Karaj city, 20 kilometers west of Tehran, is already being held in solitary confinement, despite health problems that reportedly include severe bleeding due to stomach ulcers and colon complications.

The “Mofsed-e-filarz” or “spreading corruption on Earth” allegation against him is similar to the charge “Moharabeh”, or “warring against Allah” that was leveled against another Christian, Pastor Matthias Haghnejad, can also entail capital punishment, said advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

Rights activists say the fresh charges appear part of a surge in repression under the presidency of Hassan Rouhani targeting Christians and other religious or ethnic minorities. Iranian officials are known to be concerned about the spread of Christianity among the majority Muslims.

Separately, at least five Christians were detained this week in the central city of Isfahan, according to Christian investigators.

Bibles, computers and mobile phones belonging to Mohammad Taslimi, Hamidreza Borhani and his wife Zainab Akbari, Moluk Ruhani and her sister, identified only as Sepideh, were reportedly confiscated during their arrest.

It was unclear Thursday, September 4, whether they would face similar charges as Pastor Irani, who was initially detained in December 2006, and sentenced in 2011 to six years imprisonment for “action against the state” and “action against the order.”

In June, Pastor Irani was removed from prison and temporarily held in solitary confinement in an Iranian Ministry of Intelligence and Security (VEVAK) detention center, where he was interrogated on five occasions for four hours each time, Christians said.

He was allegedly warned that if he did not obey VEVAK orders, he would receive a further sentence and remain in prison for a longer time.

CSW’s Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas told BosNewsLife in a statement that his group is "deeply concerned by the new charges against Pastor Irani" especially the charge of spreading corruption on Earth, "which bears unsettling similarities to the one faced by Pastor Matthias."

 

Full Story: Iran Evangelical Pastor Facing Death Penalty

Source: BosNewsLife

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