Azarmehr reported that several Iranian Christians won’t be celebrating Christmas with their families and friends this year…
The regime arrested the Christians during their worship ceremonies and several remain locked up in one of the brutal Iranian prisons.
NCR-Iran now reports that the Iranian regime has confiscated computers, CDs, tapes, Bibles and literature found in the homes of these Iranian Christians.
NCR-Iran reported:
Compass Direct News – Iranian secret police began to raid and arrest leaders of one of the Islamic republic’s indigenous house church movements on Sunday, December 10, arriving unannounced in the early morning hours to search their homes in Tehran, Karaj, Rasht and Bandar-i Anzali.
According to one source, those arrested have been told they face 10 accusations, including evangelization activities and actions against the national security of Iran.
Police authorities reportedly confiscated computers, CDs, tapes, Bibles and printed evangelistic literature found in the homes they searched, according to a report on the Farsi Christian News Network website.
Over the past five days several members of the house church movement have been called in for a day or more of interrogations and then released. But eight remain under arrest, including one woman.
The pastors and active members still held in custody were identified as Behnam Irani and Peyman Salarvand, from Karaj; Behrouz Sadegh-Khandjani, Shirin Sadegh-Khandjani and Hamid Reza Toluinia, from Tehran; and Yousef Nadarkhani, Parviz Khalaj and Muhammad Reza-Taghizadeh, from Rasht.
Today two of the prisoners, Seyed Abdolreza Ali Haghnejad from Bandar-i Anzali and Bahman Irani from Karaj, were set free.
Members of the religious community of 600 or more reportedly have been warned by police authorities not to send any news about the arrests outside of Iran.
…Over the past year, Iran’s harsh Islamic regime has targeted various Christian groups known to use literature and other means to spread their faith among the majority Shiite Muslim population.
AsiaNews has more on the arrest of these Christians in Iran:
Teheran (AsiaNews) – Iran’s secret police have conducted raids against some Christian communities in the lead-up to Christmas. On Sunday, 10 December officials arrested 15 Christians in different areas of the country: Karaj, Teheran, Rasht and Bandar-i Anzali. Only two have been released, according to the Compass Direct agency that broke the news on 14 December. Compass initially reported 10 arrests but yesterday more details became available.
The site persecution.org said that in fact 15 Christians had been arrested. They belong to a movement of local house churches.
Aryamehr has more on the arrests.
Previously:
Merry Christmas Infidels, You’re Arrested
