Update: Positive developments for imprisoned Christians in Iran – thank you for praying

Many of you have been praying for Joseph Shahbazian and his family, as well as a convert called Amir-Ali Minaei. We have two positive updates on their situations, but your prayers remain needed.

The wife of Joseph Shahbazian – the imprisoned pastor we’ve regularly asked prayer for – has been released after a month in prison.

Lida Alexani was arrested in April in what appears to be part of a broader strategy to pressurise her husband, who remains imprisoned following his rearrest over three months ago.

Throughout her detention, Lida was not officially informed of any charges – a clear violation of Iranian law, which requires detainees to be charged within 48 hours. It is believed she may face accusations linked to her involvement in house church activities.

The bail required to release Lida (eqivalent to £37,500) has put an additional financial strain on the family, especially as Pastor Joseph’s own bail has yet to be secured.

Meanwhile, Amir-Ali Minaei has ended his hunger strike after being given reassurances by the authorities.

He began the protest after being denied access to a telephone. Amir-Ali has since been given limited use of a phone and he’s received treatment after fracturing a bone in his right leg. However, it’s unclear whether his request to see a specialist for his heart condition has been granted.

Please join us in praising God for these developments with Lida, Joseph and Amir-Ali, but please continue to pray for their broader situations to improve.

Please pray

• For God’s healing and peace for Lida after her traumatic experience in prison, and for provision of the family’s needs, including legal costs
• For strength and protection for Pastor Joseph, and for his imminent release
• For complete healing for Amir-Ali, and that he’ll be acquitted of all charges.

Source: Article18

15 April 2025

Bereavement, hunger strike and sickness – please pray for three imprisoned Christians in Iran

Your continued prayers are needed for Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Amir-Ali Minaei, with each experiencing yet more suffering whilst held in prison for their faith.

Pastor Joseph is grieving the loss of his elderly mother, who recently died at her home in Tehran. Pastor Joseph had been her primary caregiver, and he was unable to be by her side or even attend her funeral.

Meanwhile, Nasser has suffered a stroke after going on hunger strike in protest at the Iranian government’s relentless persecution of Christians. He has been denied medical care, including treatment for painful dental issues.

Beaten for requesting specialist care

You might also recall Amir-Ali Minaei, another Christian prisoner in Iran whose story we shared on social media last month.

Amir-Ali has a heart condition and his requests to see a specialist have been refused. The most recent was last month, when he was reportedly beaten by a prison officer who struck him on his chest, worsening his condition. He has been imprisoned since April 2024, serving a sentence of three years and seven months for involvement in a house church. The extreme stress caused by his imprisonment could be behind his illness. He is also suffering from a fractured leg.

Like Nasser, Amir-Ali has since gone on hunger strike and is refusing his medication. This is in protest at his mistreatment, which also involves being denied access to a phone and being pressured to inform on other Christians.

Please pray

• For the Lord to comfort Pastor Joseph as he mourns the loss of his mother, and pray that he will be released to grieve her death with dignity
• That God will heal Nasser’s body and comfort his heart during this time of great vulnerability and injustice
• That God will protect Amir-Ali’s fragile health, heal his heart and leg, and sustain his spirit during this ordeal.

Source: Article18

13 February 2025

Two Christians rearrested amid spate of detentions in Iran

Your prayers are needed following the rearrest of two Christians in Iran and the detention of several other believers in the capital, Tehran.

On 6 February, security agents raided the homes of Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh and Joseph Shahbazian (both in their 60s) and transferred them to Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison under no specific charges.

Nasser, a Christian convert, was previously sentenced in 2017 to ten years in prison for ‘acting against national security through the formation and establishment of illegal house churches’. He was released in October 2022 after serving nearly five years. Following his rearrest, Nasser is said to be on hunger strike to protest the illegality of his detention.

• What’s it like to be a Christian in Iran?

You might recall praying for Joseph Shahbazian, an Iranian-Armenian pastor. In 2023, we reported his release after he served over a year of a two-year sentence, also for involvement in house churches (it had been ten years but was reduced on appeal).

Extreme hostility

According to Article18, the other Christians in Tehran arrested around the same time as Nasser and Joseph remain in custody. The exact reasons for these arrests are unclear.

This latest crackdown appears to be yet another contravention of a ruling made by the Iranian Supreme Court in 2021 that involvement in house churches, or even the propagation of what was referred to as the ‘Evangelical Zionist sect’, should not be considered an ‘action against national security’. The different backgrounds of Nasser and Joseph show that it’s not just converts who are being targeted by the authorities.

The continued and often extreme hostility facing many Christians in Iran is why the country is number nine on the latest World Watch List. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in the country, and those forced to flee to other countries because of persecution.

Sources: Mohabat News and Article18