December 31, 2021
In a landmark decision benefitting Iranian Muslims who convert to Christianity, the Supreme Court of Iran has ruled that belonging to a house church does not make Christians “enemies of the state.”
The decision was handed down November 3 in the case of nine Christian converts serving five-year sentences for attending house churches.
They were imprisoned for “acting against national security” a common charge used to imprison Christian converts in Iran.
The Supreme Court said the converts should not have been charged with this because their involvement in house churches or promoting Christianity does not amount to acting against national security.
“Merely preaching Christianity, and promoting the ‘Evangelical Zionist sect’, both of which apparently mean propagating Christianity through family gatherings [house churches] is not a manifestation of gathering and collusion to disrupt the security of the country, whether internally or externally,” the Supreme Court said.
The ruling went on to state that forming house churches was not a breach of Articles 498 and 499 of the Islamic Penal Code, which relates to involvement in “anti-state groups.”
Open Doors, an American Christian organization, said the ruling was “significant” because the two articles were used to convict the more than 20 Christians currently in Iranian prisons for their involvement in house churches.
Open Doors partner Mansur Borji said the decision had the potential to become a landmark ruling and positively influence future cases against Persian-speaking Iranian Christians. “We welcome this ruling from the highest court in the land,” he said.
“The Supreme Court’s ruling should now pave the way for the release of the nine Christians following a retrial at a Revolutionary Court.
“Even more importantly, it will give the Christians and thousands of others across Iran hope that they may now be able to worship together in their homes without fear of imprisonment.”
Mansur indicated he was suspicious that the regime might use some other legal basis for trying to stop conversions when he called on Iran to permit Persian-speaking Christians to gather freely to worship without fear of arrest or imprisonment.
The Rev. Borji said the Islamic Republic originally charged converts from Islam to Christianity with apostacy. But, after that generated much criticism of the regime, it stopped using the apostacy law about 15 years ago and shifted to national security charges.
The Islamic Republic places some restrictions and impediments on all non-Shia faiths in Iran. But it actively oppresses two groups Baha’is and churches for Farsi speakers who are recent converts to Christianity, as opposed to ancient Christian groups, like Armenian Catholics who speak Armenian at home and do not seek converts.
