29 April 2025 :
April 22, 2025 - IRAN. 3 Christian Converts Sentenced to Over 41 Years in Prison and Other Punishments
Branch 36 of the Tehran Province Court of Appeals has upheld the convictions of Mehran Shamlooei, Abbas Soori, and Narges Nasri, Christian converts residing in Tehran.
On April 22, 2025, Branch 36 of the Tehran Appeals Court upheld the lower court’s ruling. In the first instance, Branch 26 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court had sentenced the three to a total of 41 years and 8 months of imprisonment, 41 years of deprivation of social rights, and a total fine of 910 million tomans.
Abbas Soori received 10 years in prison for “propaganda against Islamic law,” a 15-year ban from social rights, a 330-million-toman fine, and 5 years in prison for “membership in anti-regime groups.” As additional punishment, the court banned him from leaving the country, living in Tehran Province or neighboring provinces, and joining political or social groups for two years.
Mehran Shamlooei received 8 years in prison for “propaganda against Islamic law,” a 250-million-toman fine, an 11-year ban from social rights, and 2 years and 8 months in prison for “membership in anti-government groups.”
Narges Nasri was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “propaganda against Islamic law due to extensive and impactful contact with foreign entities” (with one degree of sentence enhancement), a 15-year ban from social rights, a 330-million-toman fine, 5 years in prison for “membership in anti-government groups,” and 1 year in prison for “propaganda against the regime.” Additionally, the court banned her for two years from leaving the country, residing in Tehran Province or neighboring provinces, and joining political or social groups.
The trial for their case took place on February 13, 2025, at the mentioned court branch.
Security forces arrested Mehran Shamlooei, Abbas Soori, and Narges Nasri on November 1, 2024, for establishing a house church in Tehran. They transferred them to the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention facility, known as Ward 209 of Evin Prison. Authorities later released them from Evin on December 1, 2024, after posting bail.
Narges Nasri, aged about 38, along with Mehran Shamlooei, aged 43, and Abbas Soori, are all residents of Tehran.
