Iran Sentences Christians to Combined 50 Years for Christmas Prayers
Iran has sentenced five Christians, including an Iranian-American pastor, to over 50 years in prison combined for routine faith practices like prayer, baptism, and Christmas celebrations, prompting US condemnation of the regime's religious repression.
TEHRAN — Five Christians have been sentenced to a combined total of more than 50 years in prison by Iranian authorities for engaging in ordinary religious practices such as prayer, baptism, communion, participating in house-church worship, and celebrating Christmas. The sentences were reported by the UK-based Christian advocacy group Article18, which monitors religious freedom violations in the country, according to a report from the UOJ's Ukraine bureau.
The convicted individuals include Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian, Christian convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh (both previously imprisoned for similar activities and re-arrested in February 2025), Lida Shahbazian (Joseph's wife), Aida Najaflou, and another woman identified only as Mahfouz for privacy reasons.
Four of the five received 10-year terms under the amended Article 500 of Iran's Islamic Penal Code, which criminalizes certain religious activities deemed contrary to state ideology. Some faced additional sentences: two for "conspiracy" (five years each) and Aida Najaflou for social media "propaganda" (two years). Lida Shahbazian was sentenced to eight years.
The verdicts were issued by Judge Abolqasem Salavati at Branch 15 of Tehran's Revolutionary Court following a hearing on October 21, 2025, though the sentences were only verbally communicated to the defendants in recent weeks. Personal items, including Bibles and Christian materials, were confiscated. Article18 has highlighted procedural irregularities and described the case as evidence of ongoing systematic suppression of religious minorities, particularly Christian converts and house-church participants, in the Islamic Republic.
The US State Department has condemned the sentences, stating that no one should be imprisoned for their beliefs and calling for the release of all religious prisoners in Iran.
Earlier this month, a British schoolteacher lost his job for telling Muslim students that the UK is a Christian state.
