Iran vote turnout hits historic low amid discontent
Reuters Turnout for Iran’s parliamentary election, seen as a test of the clerical establishment’s legitimacy, appears to have hit an historic low of around 41 per cent, according to unofficial reports quoted by state media on Saturday. The election followed anti-government protests in 2022-23 that spiralled into some of Iran’s worst political turmoil since the […]
US commission calls for Iranian Christians’ release after “new miscarriage of justice”
World Watch Monitor From left: Saheb Fadaie, Youcef Nadarkhani, Yasser Mossayebzadeh and Mohammad Reza Omidi. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has called for the “immediate and unconditional” release of an Iranian pastor and three of his church members, after they were taken to prison last week to serve 10 year sentences for “acting against national […]
Prayer urged for Iran after outbreak of protests
Iranian Christians are asking the church around the world to intercede for their nation after recent mass protests in dozens of cities, Elam Ministries has reported. Some 22 people were reportedly killed in clashes during the protests – the largest in the nation since 2009 – and more than 1,000 people have reportedly been arrested. It […]
Christian convert ‘arrested, beaten and told to renounce faith’ in Iran
World Watch Monitor An Iranian convert to Christianity has been arrested in the western city of Dezful, the fourth such convert arrested in the city in recent weeks. Abdol-Ali Pourmand was arrested on Saturday after a raid on his home two days before, during which materials including Bibles and Christian CDs were confiscated. His arrest […]
Harsh sentences for Christians in Iran show fear of Christianity’s growth, says human rights expert
The rash of harsh sentences handed down to Christians in Iran in recent weeks shows the authorities’ fear at the growth of Christianity, according to a Christian human rights activist. World Watch Monitor quotes Mansour Borji, of Christian human-rights advocacy Article 18, saying that the recent sentences “could be interpreted as a sign that they want to […]