Arrests of Christians in Iran surge sixfold – media
The Iranian government has stepped up efforts to isolate and financially undermine the Christian community as part of a broader strategy to curb its growth and influence.
In January 2025, London-based religious freedom advocacy organization Article 18 published its annual report detailing violations of Christians’ rights in Iran, Christianity Daily reports.
In 2024, Christians in Iran received a combined 250 years in prison – a significant increase from the previous year. The report notes that prison sentences imposed on Christians in the country increased sixfold.
A total of 96 Christians were sentenced to a combined 263 years in prison, as well as 37 years of internal exile and nearly $800,000 in fines. At least 139 Christians were arrested in Iran in 2024 because of their religious beliefs or activities; 80 were detained and 77 were charged.
By the end of 2024, at least 18 Christians were still serving sentences for their faith, with reports that some detained Christians had been subjected to physical torture.
The report also highlights a growing trend of confiscating Christians’ property and targeting their finances. Iran’s Revolutionary Courts treat financial donations, charitable offerings, and tithes as criminal activity.
“Each arrest was carried out by IRGC intelligence agents, who sought to charge them under a provision within the amended Article 500 of the Islamic Penal Code, which calls for the maximum punishment of up to 10 years' imprisonment in cases where the individual has received ‘financial or organizational help from outside the country,’” the report states.
The report says that “the Iranian government seems to have intensified its efforts to isolate and financially undermine the Christian community as part of a broader strategy to suppress its growth and influence.”
As the UOJ previously reported, more than 380 million Christians worldwide face persecution.
