International Christian Concern | June 3, 2020
This past Thursday, four Iranian Christian converts were summoned to begin their five-year jail sentences. Hossein Kadivar, Khalil Dehghanpour, Kamal Naamanian and Mohammed Vafadar were previously convicted of “acting against national security” for leading house-churches. They were told to submit themselves to Evin Prison in Tehran.
These four men were sentenced in October 2019 alongside five others, who have already begun their sentences. After five of them asked to use their own lawyer, Judge Mohammed Moghisheh demanded they were defended by a lawyer of the court’s choosing and increased their bail tenfold. Each of them helped lead services in the absence of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, with whom they are now incarcerated with in the same prison.
Cases like this are common for Iranian Christian converts. Judge Moghisheh is known for his continued harsh treatment of prisoners of conscience, like these Christians. This is a reflection of the poor treatment Christians regularly receive from the Iranian judicial system. The judge has received Global Magnitsky sanctions as a result of his misconduct and failure to protect human rights.