Iran: House-church pastor begins 10-year prison sentence for “disturbing” Islam

by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent

(Worthy News) – An Iranian-Armenian pastor began a 10-year prison sentence in Iran yesterday, after being found guilty of engaging in “propaganda contrary to and disturbing to the holy religion of Islam” through his leading of a house church in Tehran, the Article 18 religious freedom NGO reports.

Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, 61, was convicted and sentenced over a year ago, but was only summoned to begin his sentence when two plainclothes officers from the Ministry of Intelligence arrived at his door on Wednesday last week, Article 18 reports.

Wednesday was the same day that another Iranian-Armenian pastor, Joseph Shahbazian, was released from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran, having been sent there on similar charges to Avedian, Article 18 noted.

In a statement, Article18 director Mansour Borji said Avedian’s summons to prison showed the Iranian government’s continued hostility toward Christians, whom it considers a threat to its power and authority.

“Although we have seen a number of Christians released this year, the fact that somebody has now gone to prison on the same charges or for the same activities for which others have been pardoned or released, or had their sentences reduced, shows the arbitrary nature of the judicial system in Iran, Borji said.”

Ruled by a harsh Islamic extremist authoritarian regime, Iran ranks 8th on the US Open Doors World Watch List 2023 of the top 50 countries where Christians are persecuted.

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