Branch 3 of the Islamic Revolutionary Court of Shiraz has sentenced four Christian converts to three years and eight months each in prison, a verdict communicated to their lawyers yesterday. 

Mojtaba Hosseini, Homayoun Shekoohi, Vahid Hakani, and Mohammad Reza (Koroush) Partovi were convicted by Judge Rashidi of “participating in house-church meetings, propagating and spreading Christianity, associating with Christian organisations abroad, propaganda against the regime, and disrupting national security”.

Homayoun’s wife, Fariba Nazemian, and 17-year-old son, Nima, were also each sentenced to two years’ probation.

The Christians were each given the opportunity to appeal within 20 days. They were arrested at a “house church” meeting in Shiraz on 8 February 2012.

Their first court hearing took place more than eight months later, on 15 October 2012, under the chairmanship of Judge Rashidi. Their second court hearing took place at the same branch on 28 December 2012.

One of the Christians, Vahid, is suffering from internal bleeding and requires urgent medical attention, but he has yet to be permitted leave of absence to receive treatment.

Mojtaba and Homayoun were previously arrested in May 2008, along with eight other Christian converts, and given eight-month sentences, suspended for five years.