When prison doors slam shut, believers in Iran are left face-to-face with their persecutors. In the past year alone, 96 Christians received sentences totaling 263 years. Just last month, believers Abbas Soori, Narges Nasri, and Mehran Shamloui were sentenced to over 40 years combined. The most heartbreaking part? Narges Nasri was pregnant with her first child when she was suddenly arrested.

Why such harsh sentences?

Mike Ansari of Heart4Iran explains: “Christian converts are usually charged with vague offenses such as acting against national security or propaganda against the regime, which are used to criminalize peaceful religious activities like attending house churches or sharing their faith.”

He adds that Iran’s judicial system, particularly the revolutionary courts, plays a central role in the persecution of Christians.

But persecution doesn’t have to silence us!

“Even from the safety of our homes, there are impactful ways that we can advocate for imprisoned Christians in Iran,” Ansari says.

Example of an advocacy campaign (courtesy of Sima Ghaffarzadeh via Pexels)

One powerful tool is social media activism. Platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram can be used to highlight individual cases. With the right hashtags, these stories can reach international organizations and spark global concern.

Another way is through letter-writing and petition campaigns calling for the release of specific prisoners. “This would include writing letters to Iranian embassies or international human rights organizations to apply pressure,” says Ansari.

Additionally, believers can support advocacy organizations such as Article 18, Global Christian Relief, Open Doors, and International Christian Response. “They work tirelessly to document abuses,” Ansari explains, “and support victims. So donating to or volunteering with these groups can definitely enhance their efforts and then engage with policy makers.” Partnering with advocacy groups is especially important because public exposure, if done carelessly, can worsen a prisoner’s situation. These organizations know how to handle sensitive cases wisely and effectively.

Public outcry has made a difference before!

Cases like Marziyeh Amirizadeh and Maryam Rostampour gained international attention that led to their release. The death sentence of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was also overturned after widespread advocacy.

And while Iranian believers may be behind bars, they should never be without the faithful prayers of the global Church. Mike Ansari from Heart4Iran encourages intercession: “Consider focusing on praying for the physical and spiritual strength of the imprisoned Christians and their families. Ask for fair legal proceedings and the overturning of unjust sentences!”

“For although the challenges faced by Christians in Iran are severe, our collective efforts, through advocacy, awareness, and prayer, can make a tangible difference by staying informed and actively supporting those on the front lines,” he adds.

Header photo: Prisoner (photo courtesy of Ron Lach via Pexels)

Heart4Iran’s Mike Ansari says, “These days, Iranian women – whether they’re Christian or non-Christian – are being subjected to harassment and violence under Iranian rule.”

Quadcopters equipped with cameras photograph women and girls and transmit their location to “hijab enforcers,” who then confront them directly.
(Photo courtesy of Edgar Delgado/Pexels)

Free women aren’t the only ones beset by Iranian authorities. Christian prisoners like 60-year-old Mina Khajavi are suffering oppression, too.

Inside Iran’s notorious Evin Prison, “she is currently serving a six-year sentence under the charge of acting against the national security by promoting Zionist Christianity in a house church,” Ansari says.

Mina severely broke her ankle in a car accident shortly before starting her prison sentence in January. “According to some sources close to her and her family, she is still in severe pain and unable to receive the care that she needs,” Ansari says.

“The only care she receives is occasional pain relief.”

According to International Christian Concern, Evin Prison houses 60 percent of the believers detained in Iran. Prisoners in Evin report dismal conditions and more than 70 different types of torture.

Pray the Lord will heal Mina’s ankle and relieve her pain. Ask God to strengthen women believers across Iran and help them endure the crackdowns.

“The systematic violation of religious freedom and human rights across Iran is quite alarming,” Ansari says.

“It gives us cause as Christians to come together and lift up Iran in our prayers.”

Header image courtesy of Heart4Iran.

“Somebody hacked in and got the footage. It shows us how brutal the prison authorities are actually treating the prisoners,” says Peter*, a Christian worker in the Middle East.

Ethnic and religious minorities, including Christians, are the main victims of these crimes, Article18 reports. Former prisoners tell aid organizations and advocates that physical and psychological torture are common in Evin Prison.

“[The video’s release] encourages us to pray more effectively for the Christian prisoners who are in Evin Prison. I would hope the [abuse] will stop, but I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Peter says.

“Torture is a way of getting information from the prisoners. It also puts fear into the hearts of the men and women who are in jail.”

Nonetheless, hope remains. “One of the [world’s] fastest-growing churches is in Iran. During COVID, we saw the numbers jump almost tenfold,” Peter says.

“Various ministries were averaging 300 salvations a month. Then, all of a sudden in April last year, it jumped to 1,000 a month.”

Guard beats a prisoner in footage reposted on Twitter by Radio Farda.
(Screenshot)

Pray the Lord will strengthen and encourage Christian prisoners in Evin Prison. Pray they will find supernatural peace that can only come from Him. Pray God will make Himself tangibly known to persecuted Iranian believers.

“Anytime you hear Iran in the news, just use that as a prompt to pray for the believers, for the distribution of Scriptures; for what I call the frontline workers, those who help lead house churches,” Peter says.

Many Iranian believers come to Christ from an Islamic background, and they forsake everything to follow the Lamb of God. They need mature Christian leaders to help them study God’s Word and grow in their faith.

“For example,” Peter says, “there’s one group with more than 20 women who’ve given birth over the past year. They are ‘first generation’ mothers; they’ve only been Christians for a few years. Their question is, how can I raise my child to love Jesus when it was not modeled for me?”

Women are not exempt from Iran’s harsh persecution. More about that here. Pray the Lord will help new mothers stand firm in their faith, and find mentors to help them disciple their children.

*Pseudonym

Radio Free Europe shared some of the leaked footage on its YouTube channel. In this clip, guards drag an emaciated prisoner through the prison.
(Screenshot)

In 2002, Eritrea outlawed all religions aside from Sunni Islam, The Eritrean Orthodox Church, Roman Catholicism, and the Lutheran Church, and the government keeps even these churches on a tight leash. People who worship in unregistered churches are considered enemies of the state.

Greg Musselman of Voice of the Martyrs Canada says Eritrea used to be a part of Ethiopia, and the Gospel grew quickly after the country gained its independence. “Evangelical churches especially were growing. Many people were leaving the state church and becoming evangelicals, and that caused some difficulty for the state church. The government began to basically shut down evangelical churches. Once the churches were closed down, believers continued to meet, and then they were arrested.”

Eritrean prisoners are sometimes held in shipping containers such as this one. (Photo by Victória Kubiaki on Unsplash)

Held in shipping containers

Many prisoners in Eritrea are held in severely overcrowded prisons where they are constantly in danger of beatings and abuse. Their shelter? Metal shipping containers that expose them to the heat in the day and cold at night. Many Christians have died under such harsh conditions, and others have fled the country to avoid them.

Musselman says only a tiny fraction of Christians have been released, but he is hopeful that more will be released in the coming days. In July, 22 Methodist prisoners were released as well.

How to pray

For those who have released from prison, Musselman says we need to pray they can reintegrate into society and find healing. Some of them have been in prison so long that some of their family members have died.

For those still in prison, pray they would be strengthened by Christ, and would soon be released. Musselman says, “We’ve even gotten letters that have come to us, from people that we had met. They’ve been in prison for many years, and that they are committed to sharing the message of God’s love in these prison cells.”

The header image shows students in Eritrea, who are forced to undergo military training as high school seniors. (Photo courtesy of Voice of the Martyrs on Facebook)

“Iran’s latest legislative amendment appears to be, in part, a response to internal uprising and political unrest across the country,” Heart4Iran’s Mike Ansari says.

“For a long time, Iran has waged war on its minority population and blamed them for its misfortune. Many feel this is a desperate power-act by Iran to secure its longevity and survival.”

New threat to ‘secret believers’

The legal changes come as Christian prisoners face increasing difficulties and the U.S. State Department criticizes Iran in its annual International Religious Freedom report. “Iranian leaders are sending a loud and clear message to the international community that they are in charge of Iran’s internal affairs,” Ansari notes.

“Much like China, who is imposing unilateral national security legalization on Hong Kong, Iran is exercising a tightening of its grip on any voice that is non-Islamic.”

Meanwhile, a spiritual revolution is underway in the Islamic republic. “In the last three months, our call center at Mohabat TV has registered an all-time high of 3,000+ monthly decisions of faith from Iranian Muslims who are converting to Christianity,” Ansari says.

(Image capture courtesy of Heart4Iran)

“This ten-fold increase, compared to the same period in 2019, is a major indication that the Islamic Republic of Iran is losing a cross-section of its Muslim population to Christianity.”

This “good news” comes at a cost. By making online activity illegal, the new amendments described above give Iranian officials more opportunity to persecute religious minorities – like Christians.

Ansari describes the following situation as an example: “Last month, an Iranian man called Heart4Iran’s Mohabat TV as his 6-year-old son Behnam lay gravely ill in an Iranian hospital bed,” he says.

“The helpline counselor immediately began to pray. Two days later, Behnam was released from the hospital and his parents experienced renewed hope and faith. The Iranian government calls this a ‘deviant psychological manipulation, and propaganda contrary to Islam, potentially punishable by imprisonment, flogging, fines or even the death penalty’.”

How you can help

Ministries to Iran need help from the global Body of Christ to oppose this law. Join Heart4Iran’s live webinar next Friday to learn how you can help.

“Organizations like Open Doors, Heart4Iran, Middle East Concern, International Christian Concern, Article 18, and others are mobilizing to raise awareness to oppose the new amendments to the law,” Ansari says.

“We are asking the international community to mobilize advocacy initiatives, launch awareness campaigns, and come together to bring a unified front in opposing the violation of religious freedom in Iran.”

Most importantly, pray. Pray for wisdom, favor, and anointing over the matter at hand. Ask the Lord to intervene on behalf of underground believers, who depend upon virtual activities for spiritual growth and fellowship. Use this Prayercast video for further intercession.

Header image is a representative stock photo courtesy of Kaboompics.com via Pexels.