Parsa’s father beat him and kicked him out of the house when he learned that he had converted to Christianity. He was also fired from his job.

In 2015, Parsa and two of his Christian friends were finalising their plans for a new business venture together, when their premises was raided by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence.

Parsa was detained and interrogated for three weeks, and says he was “severely tortured psychologically”. He was also prevented from completing the final six credits remaining to finish his degree.

Ten months after his release, Parsa fled Iran and sought asylum in Turkey. Three months later, he was sentenced, in absentia, to five years in prison.

But though he claimed asylum in 2016, Parsa is still waiting for an interview with the Turkish authorities. His wife Donya, whom he married in January 2018 and with whom he has a three-year-old daughter, Rahil, has been interviewed and officially recognised as a refugee.

For more about Parsa, read his Witness Statement or our feature article.