Five Christians sentenced to combined 50 years for Christmas prayers in Iran
The total sentence exceeded 50 years: the verdict was issued for religious gatherings, preaching, baptism, and the distribution of Christian literature.
On December 8, 2025, in Iran, five Christians were sentenced to a total of more than 50 years in prison for praying, participating in house worship services, and celebrating Christmas. This was reported by the Christian human rights organization Article18.
According to the organization, the convicted were found guilty not of criminal offenses, but of performing religious actions, including prayer, baptism, participation in communion, possession of Bibles, and celebrating Christian feasts. Article18 considers the sentence as another manifestation of systematic repression against Christians in the Islamic Republic.
Among the convicted are Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian and convert to Christianity Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who had previously served prison terms for participating in house churches and were re-arrested in February last year. As part of the same case, Lida Shahbazian, Aida Najaflou, and another woman whose name has not been made public were also sentenced.
Four of the five Christians received ten-year prison sentences under the amended Article 500 of the Iranian Penal Code, which provides punishment for certain forms of religious activity. Two of them were additionally sentenced to five years for "conspiracy." Lida Shahbazian was sentenced to eight years in prison, and Aida Najaflou received an additional two-year term for "propaganda" on social media.
The sentences were handed down by notorious judge Abolqasem Salavati following a second court hearing on 21 October at the 15th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, but only communicated to them verbally within the past two weeks. In addition to prison terms, the convicted had personal belongings confiscated, including Bibles and Christian literature. Article18 emphasizes that the case was accompanied by serious violations of judicial procedure and indicates a lack of freedom of religion for Christians in Iran.
Earlier, teh UOJ reported that French intelligence warned of an increase in Islamist attacks on Christians.
