Church of Iran leader Matthias (Abdulreza Ali) Haghnejad was released from Minab prison in Hormozgan province in southern Iran on 14 December.

Pastor Haghnejad had been serving a six-year sentence on charges of ‘acting against the security of the country by forming a group and propagating Christianity outside the church and in the house church, and giving information to the enemies of Islam’.

The pastor had been acquitted of these same charges in 2014, yet they were reinstated in January 2022, shortly after he was acquitted of ‘endangering state security’ and ‘promoting Zionist Christianity,’ for which he spent nearly three years in prison from February 2019 to December 2021. He was arrested on the reinstated charges along with two other Christians in Anzali city, Gilan Province on 26 December 2022.

Pastor Haghnejad was transferred to Minab prison, which is over 1,000 miles from his home in Bandar Anzali, in July 2023, shortly after being accused of undermining state security by a couple from the Church of Iran denomination who was pressurised into incriminating him and another Church of Iran leader, Yousef Nadarkhani. The accusation was made despite the fact that Pastor Haghnejad has never met the couple, and Pastor Nadarkhani only has a vague acquaintance with them.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘While we welcome the release of Pastor Haghnejad, we maintain he was detained unjustly following a process amounting to double jeopardy. We call on the Iranian authorities to release all other prisoners currently imprisoned in relation to their religion or belief. We also urge Iran to end its effective criminalisation of Christianity, and to respect, protect and fulfil the right to freedom of religion or belief for every citizen regardless of their religious affiliation or belief.’