Three
Iranian Christians who were arrested during a series of raids on Christian
homes in the city of Rasht on 13 May, were tried on 10 September.
Yasser
Mossayebzadeh, Saheb Fadaie and Mehdi Reza Omidi (Youhan) appeared before the
10th Chamber of the Revolutionary Court and were charged with “actions against
national security” and drinking wine during a Communion service. The penalty
for a guilty verdict is flogging. Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) was
informed that the hearing took only ten minutes.
The
three men were arrested
on 13 May in a series of raids on Christian homes by security service
(VEVAK) agents that also targeted the home of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who
was arrested along with his wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh. It is still unclear
whether the pastor’s case is included in this trial.
Mehdi
Reza Omidi (Youhan) has been flogged in the past. On 31 December 2012, he was
arrested along with three other Christians during a crackdown on house
churches. The group was charged with drinking alcohol, in connection with
taking wine during communion, as well as with possession of a receiver and
satellite antenna, and he received 80
lashes on 30 October 2013.
The
private consumption of alcohol by non-Muslims is not illegal in Iran. A
local source has speculated that the renewal of prosecutions for drinking
alcohol in connection with Communion services indicates a desire on the
part of the Iranian authorities to create Shari’a-compliant churches as part of
the ongoing policy of restricting or controlling religious practices.
Mervyn
Thomas, Chief Executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) said, "The
actions of the Iranian authorities effectively criminalise the Christian
sacrament of Communion and constitutes an unacceptable infringement on the
right to practice faith freely and peaceably. We urge the Iranian
authorities to ensure that the nation's practices and legal procedures do not
contradict its constitutional commitments recognising the Christian faith, or
its international obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) to guarantee the full enjoyment of freedom of religion
or belief to all of its religious communities."