Recently Arrested Christian Convert Couple still Held in Uncertainty

Recently Arrested Christian Convert Couple still Held in Uncertainty

This converted couple was summoned to the information office of Sepah forces, where they were interrogated by the security officers for several hours and most likely sent to Evin Jail.

(Tehran-) the status of converted Christians “Mehrdad Hushmand” and “ Sara Nemati” who were called to the information office of Sepah(Iranian Revolutionary Guard)forces on September 11, 2017, where they were interrogated by the security officers, is still unknown.

The informed sources have reported that these converted Christian couple are accused of participating in a Christian funeral in Behesht Zahra cemetery.

These two inidviduals prayed for one of their friends in a Christian funeral on September 10, 2017. Few unknown individuals had been watching Mr. Hushmand and Mrs. Nemati for some time and approached this couple in the ceremony and asked for Mr. Hushmand’s ID and asked him to be present himself in the information office of sepah the next day.

The following day, Mehrdad Hushmand accompanied by his wife, Sara Nemati attended the office and they were interrogated for several hours and then in all likelihood sent to the notorious Evin prison in Tehran.

Since then, only Sara Nemati was given the permission to call her family once.

“It has been reported that the information officers have threatened Mrs. Nemati that her husband would be charged with “corruption”. They have also recommended to her that “it would be a great service to yourself if you got divorced!”
As this converted Christian couple attended a Christian funeral where the deceased was not a Christian, it has been suggested that they had been identified and under observation by the Sepah officers.
There has been no news of the reasons for their captivity, their health status, or their location since their arrest.

The security officials of Islamic Republic are trying to stop the promotion and growth of Christianity inside the country by very harsh controls over Christian groups. Pursuits, tortures, intimidation's, arrests, and heavy charges in the courts for Christians, especially for the Persian speaking converts, have been going on for many years by the official and nonofficial agents of the government. Nevertheless they have been singled out and protested by other religious organizations and human right activists all over the world.