Two United Nations experts have called on Iran to explain the alleged confiscation of one of the country's oldest Protestant churches and the eviction of families living on its grounds.
The UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, Mai Sato, and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Nazila Ghanea, sent an official communication to the Iranian government on 10 July concerning St Peter's Church in Tehran.
The communication was made public in September under UN procedures. The experts said they were concerned that the alleged confiscation and closure of the church risked “rendering members of recognised religious and ethnic minorities homeless and depriving a long-standing Christian community of its place of worship”.
They also said the situation did not appear to be an isolated incident, but part of what they described as a “decades-long pattern of measures directed against the Christian community” in Iran, particularly Persian-speaking Christians.
The communication referred to reports of church properties being confiscated, closed, demolished or repurposed in other Iranian cities, including Tabriz, Mashhad, Gorgan and Karaj.
The UN experts said these actions had had a cumulative effect on Protestant worship in Persian.
According to the communication, there were once around 50 Protestant churches offering services in Persian in Iran. It said that effectively none remain operating in Persian, after three Anglican churches in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz were not permitted to reopen following the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a statement following the publication of the communication, the rapporteurs said the church compound had since been confiscated and families from Iran's recognised Armenian and Assyrian Christian minorities had been evicted from homes they had occupied for decades.
They said the church had been forcibly closed and guards placed outside to prevent worshippers from entering.
“Forced evictions of this kind are incompatible with international human rights law,” the rapporteurs said.
In July, the World Council of Churches (WCC) expressed “grave concern” over the seizure of the compound.
The UN experts have asked the Iranian government to explain the legal and factual basis for the transfer of ownership of the church compound, as well as the legal basis for ordering 27 residents to leave their homes within two weeks.
They also asked what safeguards had been provided to residents, including consultation, adequate notice, access to legal remedies, compensation and alternative housing.
They called for information on measures being taken to ensure Persian-speaking Christians, including Christians from Muslim backgrounds, can worship freely in their mother tongue without fear of arrest or prosecution.
The Iranian government had not responded to the questions at the time the UN experts' communication was made public, according to the report.
