A Christian convert in Iran whose husband lives with Parkinson’s disease has reportedly been sentenced to more than nine years in prison.
According to reports from the Persian-language Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), Catholic convert Ghazal Marzban received a sentence of nine years and eight months on charges including “propaganda against the state” and “gathering and collusion against national security”.
The sentence was reportedly handed down by Revolutionary Court judge Iman Afshari, who has previously been sanctioned by the European Union and is known for overseeing cases involving political prisoners and Christians.
Marzban, a former prisoner of conscience, had previously spent two months in prison in 2024 after being convicted of “propaganda against the regime by chanting slogans”. She was rearrested in January at her home in Tehran.
During the arrest, authorities reportedly confiscated her Bible and other Christian literature before taking her to an undisclosed location. Her family were initially given no explanation for the arrest.
Two hours later, she contacted her husband to say she was being held at a Ministry of Intelligence detention centre. Reports say she then spent around a month without contact with the outside world.
According to sources cited by Christian persecution watchdog Article18, Marzban faced pressure during interrogations to claim that her Bible and Christian materials were being used for evangelism. She reportedly rejected the allegation, insisting the materials were for personal use and that she had the right, as a Christian, to possess them.
Marzban converted to Catholicism seven years ago and has since reportedly experienced increasing pressure. As an Islamic law graduate, she was allegedly prevented from sitting her bar exams and encouraged to leave the country.
Her husband, who is also a Christian convert, has reportedly struggled to access medication needed to manage his Parkinson’s disease.
Mansour Borji, executive director of Article18, said the impact of the sentence extends beyond Ghazal herself.
“Due to her husband’s condition,” he said, “this is in reality a sentence for both of them.”
Iran is number ten on the Open Doors World Watch List, which ranks the countries where Christians face the most extreme persecution.
