Besides questioning and threatening friends of an Iranian-Armenian pastor re-arrested for practicing his faith, authorities in Iran have detained his wife and put her in solitary confinement, according to an advocacy group.
Lida Alexani, 56-year-old wife of Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, was arrested on April 12 and sent to solitary confinement in Evin Prison in Tehran, according to Article 18. Charges if any were unknown, but her husband was re-arrested on Feb. 6 and sent to Evin Prison after having been “pardoned” in September 2023 for his participation in a house church, deemed “actions against national security.”
Prior to his 2023 release, Pastor Shahbazian had spent just over a year at Evin Prison.
“Joseph’s mother, Jhasmen, for whom he was the primary carer, passed away 9 April, and her funeral was held on 14 April, in the absence of both her son and daughter-in-law,” Article 18 reports. “It had been hoped and expected that Joseph may be released in time for the Iranian New Year, and then after his mother’s death, but in spite of a bail amount being set for him of 499 million tomans (around $7,000 US), he remains in Evin Prison.”
Pastor Shahbazian has been put in Ward 4 of the prison after spending nearly two months in solitary confinement, Article18 reported. He reportedly faces charges of “propaganda against the regime,” “propaganda activities contrary to the holy religion of Islam through the establishment and operation of a house church,” and “acquiring wealth through the illegitimate means of tithes and donations.”
The pastor denies the accusations and has been denied access to a lawyer of his choice, according to Article 18.
Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS) officials also have recently summoned several of Pastor Shahbazian’s Christian friends, including some present during his first arrest in 2020, to try to gather new evidence against him, the group reported.
“They tried to force us to cooperate with the MOIS by luring us and even threatening us,” one of the Christians told Article18 on condition of anonymity. “They wanted me to say something untrue against Brother Joseph so they could build a case against him. The interrogator said, ‘If you don’t help us, we’ll have to resume our unfinished investigation against you.’”
Iranian authorities are increasingly targeting Christians’ finances in an apparent “effort to isolate and financially undermine the Christian community as part of a broader strategy to suppress its growth and influence,” according to Article18’s 2025 annual report.
“Making financial donations, charitable offerings, or paying tithes to support church activities are standard practices for Christians worldwide, but such activities have been criminalized by Iran’s Revolutionary Courts,” the report stated.
Prison sentences upheld
Also in Tehran, an appeals court on April 23 upheld the harsh prison sentences of three Christian converts, including a pregnant woman.
The 37-year-old mother, Narges Nasri, along with Abbas Soori and Mehran Shamloui had been sentenced in March to a total of more than 40 years in prison on charges related to their Christian belief and practice. The 36th branch of the Tehran appeal court informed them on April 26 that it had rejected their appeals on April 23, citing “the scope of their activities and their harmful effects.”
The three Christians had been arrested in November in concurrent raids by intelligence agents on their homes in Tehran, where authorities confiscated personal belongings such as Bibles, crosses and musical instruments.
They were then transferred to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence. They were released on bail equivalent to more than $20,000 USD each a month later after lengthy and intensive interrogations, Article 18 reported.
Their court hearing took place on 15 February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, where they were officially charged with “membership of opposition groups”, “propaganda against the system” and “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law through foreign relations,” under Articles 499, 500 and 500 bis, respectively.
A month later, the pregnant Nasri received the stiffest sentence – 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” five for membership of an “opposition group” (house church) and one year for “propaganda against the state” for posting on social media in support of the Women, Life, Freedom movement.
Soori, 48, received a total of 15 years in prison – 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for membership of an “opposition group” – while Shamloui, 37, received an eight-year sentence for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second, Article 18 stated.
All three were also sentenced to years of deprivation of social rights, such as to health, employment or education – 15 years each for Nasri and Soori, and 11 years for Shamloui – while Nasri and Soori were fined 330 million tomans ($3,500 USD) each, and Shamloui 250 million ($2,750 USD). Nasri and Soori were also banned from membership of any group, residing in their home province of Tehran or leaving Iran for two years after their release, according to Article 18.
At least 10 other Christians, including Nasri’s three sisters, were arrested on the same November day during raids on Christian homes across the country in the cities of Karaj (near Tehran), Mashhad in the northeast, and Shiraz and Bandar Abbas in the south, among others.
Soori had been arrested in 2020 and later sentenced alongside another Christian convert, Maryam Mohammadi, and their pastor, Iranian-Armenian Anooshavan Avedian. Abbas and Mohammadi received non-custodial punishments including travel bans, exile from the province of Tehran and prohibition of membership in any political or social groups, while Pastor Avedian, who is in his 60s, was given a 10-year prison term. He was acquitted in September last year, having served just over one year of his sentence.
Iran ranked ninth on Christian support organization Open Doors’ 2025 World Watch List (WWL) of the 50 countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian. The report noted that despite persecution, “the church in Iran is growing steadily.”
