Morteza Hajeb Mashoodkari and two other members of a house church in Rasht were arrested on 5 September 2021, during a raid by security forces.
These three converts, all members of the “Church of Iran,” were then taken to an unknown location.
The other two converts were Youhanna (Ahmad) Sarparast and Ayoob (Farzin) Pour-Rezazadeh. It was later revealed that they were being held in a detention centre belonging to the IRGC.
On 9 April 2022, the Rasht Revolutionary Court sentenced the three individuals to 5 years and one day in prison and a fine of 180 million rials for their peaceful religious activities, on charges including “forming a house church, propaganda against the state, and connections with Zionist missionary agents and the Branhamite sect abroad.”
During one of their court hearings, the three converts stated in their defence that they were “only Christians and worship according to the Bible” and had “not participated in any propaganda activities against the state.”
According to a report published in November 2023, Ahmad (Youhanna) Sarparast, Ayoob (Farzin) Pour-Rezazadeh, and Morteza Hajeb Mashoodkari were granted permission to serve the remainder of their sentences outside of prison, but they must report to the prison daily and work in a nearby workshop.
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