According to Article 18 of the advocacy group, following the end of the military conflict with Israel, they were arrested in five different Iranian cities in five different cities.
Two weeks after the end of the Iran and Israeli bombings on June 24, Iran’s Intelligence Ministry arrested Christians in Tehran, Rasht, Ormier, Kermansha and Balamin.
Since the ceasefire came into effect on June 25, Iranian authorities have targeted hundreds of ethnic and religious minorities under the pretext of being “collaborators” or “spy” in Israel or the US, according to a group of special rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief.
“Post-conflict situations should not be used as an opportunity to suppress objections and increase oppression,” they wrote in a recent statement.
Several Christians detained were threatened with arrests on suspicion of cooperation with “hostile nations” such as Israel and the United States under newly proposed laws that sought to enforce severe punishments, Article 18 said. The arrests occurred during the crackdown on opponents, but in part based on accusations that were given long levels of Christianity, including possession of the Bible, the group said.
“In Iran, prosecutors and judges frequently label evangelical Christians as “Zionists” and “deviant,” in attempts to distinguish between them and tolerated orthodox Christians of Armenia and Assyrian descent.”
A statement from a UN expert warned against “inhuman rhetoric” against Iran’s minority, saying it had received reports of media discrimination, hostility and incitement of violence.
During the Israeli bombing, Tehran’s infamous Evin prison was attacked, and prisoners moved elsewhere, with UN experts accusing “the fate and place of some prisoners remain unknown and out of the protection of the law – a situation equivalent to enforced failure.”
“At the time of the prison strike, at least 11 Christians were in Evin. It is believed that all had been moved to various facilities in the Tehran region, but not all were considered,” a UN expert said.
Among the more than 60 female political prisoners, a Christian convert was transported to Qarchak prison for 43-year-old Aida Najafru and arrested in February. She was one of five Christians who were recently charged with “promotion against the Islamic Republic of Iran” and “promotion against the Islamic Republic” according to Article 18.
Najahlu faces additional charges of “propaganda against Iran’s Islamic Republic in cyberspace” and “propaganda in favour of groups or organizations opposing the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
Statements from UN experts included concerns over the executions, loss of death in force and reports of mass arrests, including three Kurdish men and three other men who were reportedly executed on charges of “Israel spying.”
“Hundreds of individuals, including social media users, journalists, human rights advocates, foreigners, especially Afghans, have been detained with members of ethnic and religious minorities such as Bahais, Kurdish, Baruchh and Afwadian Arabs on charges of “collaboration” or “sinage”,” they said. “The conflict has also significantly exacerbated Afghanistan’s deportation from Iran, with 256,000 people returning in June alone amid a serious ref-formation concern.”
Experts raised alarms in an official statement that announced a rapid examination of accusations of espionage, increasing the risk of summary execution or punishment without appropriate legitimate procedures.
Experts warned that Iranian parliament is moving forward with legislation that classifies intelligence reports or espionage activities carried out for “hostile governments” as “corruption on earth.”
“Criminating information sharing in a wide range of languages violates freedom of expression and the right to information,” the expert said. “The law also represents a worrying expansion of the death penalty that violates international human rights law.”
Experts urged the international community to support Iranian civil society officials, including technical and financial support for independent media and human rights groups.
