A Christian convert who recently fractured her spine after falling from a bunkbed in Iran’s notorious Evin Prison has been sentenced to 17 years in prison on charges related to practicing her faith, according to human rights groups.
Aida Najaflou was one of five Iranian Christians sentenced to a combined total of more than 50 years in prison in Oct. 21 verdicts that were not communicated to them until late November and early December, according to rights group Article 18.
Najaflou, 44, received 10-year sentence under the amended Article 500 of Iran’s penal code – which includes “anti-security” laws invoked for ordinary practice of faith – as well as an additional five-year term for “gathering and collusion” and a two-year sentence for “propaganda” charges related to social media posts, Article 18 reported.
“The sentences were handed down by notorious judge Abolqasem Salavati following a second court hearing on 21 October at the 15th Branch of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran, but only communicated to them verbally within the past two weeks,” the group stated.
Najaflou suffers from rheumatoid arthritis and recently received hospital treatment for a second time when a wound from spinal surgery became infected in prison, according to Article 18.
“Her lawyer posted on X on Sunday [Dec. 7] that she was concerned for her client’s long-term health, with fears of spinal cord damage if her condition is not managed properly,” the group stated.
The Women’s Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) rights group reported that under Iran’s law on cumulative sentences, she must serve the longest term of 10 years.
“Aida Najaflou’s health is in a critical condition, and she is at risk of complete paralysis due to a spinal cord injury,” the NCRI stated. “Her physical condition deteriorated sharply after she fell from her bed and underwent spinal surgery.”
Two of those sentenced were Iranian-Armenian Pastor Joseph Shahbazian and Christian convert Nasser Navard Gol-Tapeh, who were re-arrested in February after spending a combined six years in prison on charges related to their involvement in house churches, according to Article 18.
The other two receiving sentences were Shahbazian’s wife Lida and a third woman whose name has not been released. All of the Christians except Lida received 10-year sentences under the amended Article 500, and at least two of them including Najaflou received additional five-year terms for the second charge of “gathering and collusion,” Article 18 reported.
Lida was sentenced to eight years, the group stated.
The Christians were expected to appeal. Their personal property, including Bibles and other Christian literature, were confiscated for Ministry of Intelligence “research” purposes,” according to Article 18.
Their trial “bore many hallmarks of a lack of due process” such as lengthy detention and excessive bail demands, said Article18 Director Mansour Borji. Shahbazian, Najaflou and Gol-Tapeh were detained for seven months before they appeared in court.
No bail was ever officially set in Shahbazian’s case, in spite of misleading communications to his family in this regard, Borji said, while bail amounts for Najaflou and Gol-Tapeh – $130,000 and nearly $250,000 respectively – were beyond their ability to pay.
Gol-Tapeh’s first imprisonment ended with his “pardoning” in October 2022 after nearly five years in Evin Prison, while Shahbazian served just over a year in prison after his first 10-year sentence before he too was ”pardoned” in September 2023, according to Article 18.
Gol-Tapeh had suffered a stroke after going on hunger strike to protest against his re-arrest, while Shahbazian also previously suffered from ill health.
“The June indictment against the Christians began with a quote from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s notorious October 2010 speech, in which he identified the spread of house churches across Iran among the ‘critical threats’ facing his Islamic Republic,” Borji said. “In my view, Khamenei’s 2010 hate speech can therefore be understood to be directly responsible for the violence suffered by these and many other Christians.”
The prosecutor went on to suggest that Protestantism and “Zionist Christianity” were one and the same, demonstrating how Iran’s intelligence agencies twist reality to guarantee convictions, he said.
“He also wrongly presupposes that Iranian Christian organizations abroad are agents of foreign intelligence agencies, without offering a shred of evidence,” Borji said. “And all of this is to justify and rationalize judicial violence.”
Regarding Shahbazian, the prosecutor wrote that he was “proud of his criminal activities,” adding, “in accordance with the teachings of the Protestant and Assemblies of God churches, the defendant considers the purpose and motivation of his evangelistic activities to be fulfilling the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the gospel to all nations and peoples of the world.”
Gol-Tapeh, the prosecutor wrote, “aware of the illegality of distributing evangelistic books, began distributing Bibles and Holy Scriptures…On several occasions, he has taken deliveries of the Persian Bible and kept them in his home. In his confession, the defendant explains the reason for this mission as follows: ‘This action is part of my faith as a Christian. I would like to learn Christian theology and share it with my loved ones in Christ.’”
Borji said these examples demonstrate how Iranian Christians such as the five sentenced were convicted for no other reason than ordinary Christian activities, including seeking to share their beliefs with others and providing them with the opportunity to read the Bible.
“Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic of Iran claims to provide its citizens with religious freedom, when demonstrably no such freedom of choice exists,” he said.
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.”
