Five Iranian Christian converts have had their prison sentences upheld on appeal, in a case which religious rights groups say criminalises ordinary expressions of faith.
Article 18 reports that Morteza (Calvin) Faghanpour Sasi was tortured during his detention.
The Tehran Provincial Court of Appeal upheld the convictions of Morteza, Abolfazl (Benjamin) Ahmadzadeh Khajani, Hesamuddin (Yahya) Mohammad Jenidi, and two other converts on 17th September 2025.
According to Middle East Concern, the five men were originally arrested in June 2024 in the towns of Varamin and Pishva, south of Tehran, at their homes and workplaces.
They were held in Tehran’s Evin Prison for between one and six months and later released on bail of up to thirty thousand dollars each.
On the 16th July, the Revolutionary Court of Varamin sentenced them to seven years and six months in prison for “educational and promotional activities deviating from and disrupting Islamic law, with connections to foreign countries,” and an additional seven months for “propaganda against the system.”
Morteza received a further 17-month sentence for “insulting the leadership.”
The charges stemmed from their participation in Christian training in Turkiye, attendance at house churches, and online meetings.
The sentences were handed down under Articles 500, 500bis, and 514 of Iran’s Islamic Penal Code.
The Advocacy group, Middle East Concern, have asked for prayer and urged Iranian authorities to stop treating basic Christian activity as a crime.