Bereavement, hunger strike and sickness – please pray for three imprisoned Christians in Iran

The suffering faced by three imprisoned Christians in Iran is being compounded by the brutal and heartless mistreatment of the authorities. Please pray for our brothers, and for all imprisoned believers in Iran.

Your continued prayers are needed for Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Amir-Ali Minaei, with each experiencing yet more suffering whilst held in prison for their faith.

Joseph is grieving the loss of his elderly mother, who recently died at her home in Tehran. Joseph had been her primary caregiver, and he was unable to be by her side or even attend her funeral.

Meanwhile, Nasser has suffered a stroke after going on hunger strike in protest at the Iranian government’s relentless persecution of Christians. He has been denied medical care, including treatment for painful dental issues.

Beaten for requesting specialist care

You might also recall Amir-Ali Minaei, another Christian prisoner in Iran whose story we shared on social media last month.

Amir has a heart condition and his requests to see a specialist have been refused. The most recent was last month, when he was reportedly beaten by a prison officer who struck him on his chest, worsening his condition. He has been imprisoned since April 2024, serving a sentence of three years and seven months for involvement in a house church. The extreme stress caused by his imprisonment could be behind his illness. He is also suffering from a fractured leg.

Like Nasser, Amir has since gone on hunger strike and is refusing his medication. This is in protest at his mistreatment, which also involves being denied access to a phone and being pressured to inform on other Christians.

Please pray

• For the Lord to comfort Joseph as he mourns the loss of his mother, and pray that he will be released to grieve her death with dignity
• That God will heal Nasser’s body and comfort his heart during this time of great vulnerability and injustice
• That God will protect Amir’s fragile health, heal his heart and leg, and sustain his spirit during this ordeal.

Source: Article18

13 February 2025

Two Christians rearrested amid spate of detentions in Iran

Your prayers are needed following the rearrest of two Christians in Iran and the detention of several other believers in the capital, Tehran.

On 6 February, security agents raided the homes of Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian (both in their 60s) and transferred them to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison under no specific charges.

Nasser, a Christian convert, was previously sentenced in 2017 to ten years in prison for ‘acting against national security through the formation and establishment of illegal house churches’. He was released in October 2022 after serving nearly five years. Following his rearrest, Nasser is said to be on hunger strike to protest the illegality of his detention.

• What’s it like to be a Christian in Iran?

You might recall praying for Joseph Shahbazian, an Iranian-Armenian believer. In 2023, we reported his release after he served over a year of a two-year sentence, also for involvement in house churches (it had been ten years but was reduced on appeal).

Extreme hostility

According to Article18, the other Christians in Tehran arrested around the same time as Nasser and Joseph remain in custody. The exact reasons for these arrests are unclear.

This latest crackdown appears to be yet another contravention of a ruling made by the Iranian Supreme Court in 2021 that involvement in house churches, or even the propagation of what was referred to as the ‘Evangelical Zionist sect’, should not be considered an ‘action against national security’. The different backgrounds of Nasser and Joseph show that it’s not just converts who are being targeted by the authorities.

The continued and often extreme hostility facing many Christians in Iran is why the country is number nine on the latest World Watch List. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the country, and those forced to flee to other countries because of persecution.

Sources: Mohabat News and Article18