Christians
‘They beat me so much that I fell off my chair’
Article 18 (01.04.2026) – Alireza was a devout Muslim before converting to Christianity at the age of 25.
As a boy, he even received awards from his local mosque for learning passages of the Quran by heart, and later worked for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
But everything changed the day a childhood friend of Alireza’s explained that he had stopped coming to the mosque because he had become a Christian and invited him to join his house-church.
After reading the Bible from cover to cover and researching many other faiths in depth, Alireza also decided to become a Christian – a decision that in time would lead to his arrest, interrogation, torture, sentencing and exile.
Christian convert and political activist ‘brutally beaten’ during arrest
Article 18 (26.03.2026) A well-known political activist and Christian convert was recently arrested during a violent raid on his home by “approximately 200 armed security personnel”, according to the organisation to which he belongs.
The “unprecedented” raid on Mohammad Nikbakht’s home took place on 14 March, the National Decision Council said in a statement calling for his “immediate and unconditional release”.
Mohammad, who has been arrested on multiple occasions for his activism and was once shot several times during a failed assassination attempt, is reported to have been transferred to Isfahan’s Dastgerd Prison.
The suffocation and slow death of Anglican Church in Iran
Article 18 (25.03.2026) – Two Easters ago, the retiring Anglican archbishop responsible for the ailing diocese of Iran – Cyprus-based Englishman Michael Lewis – received a visit from a handful of his Iranian congregants.
“If the Archbishop can’t come to Iran, Iran will come to the Archbishop!” read a Twitter post on the account of the Jerusalem and Middle East Church Association (JMECA), under which the Iranian diocese falls these days, bereft of a bishop of its own.
“Over recent years it has been difficult to obtain visas in order to facilitate episcopal visits to the Diocese of Iran, which made the opportunity for five people, both clergy and lay, from Anglican churches in Iran to visit with the Diocese of Cyprus, even sweeter,” explained an article on the JMECA website.
Concern for imprisoned Christian convert due for release before war
Article 18 (19.03.2026) – The family of an imprisoned Iranian Christian convert who was due for release prior to the war are concerned for her safety, having not heard from her since the conflict began nearly three weeks ago.
Simin Soheilinia, who will celebrate her 48th birthday on Saturday, is serving a 10-year sentence in Tehran’s Evin Prison on charges of “acting against national security by establishing and leading an illegal Christian house-church”.
Simin’s sentence was recently reduced to three years and six months, after which it was agreed that she could serve the remainder of her sentence outside prison, with an electronic tag.
Continue reading…
Concern for Iran’s prisoners of conscience, including 48 Christians
Article 18 (12.03.2026) – Concerns have been raised about the safety of prisoners in Iran, including at least 48 Christian prisoners of conscience, as the war with the United States and Israel continues.
Amnesty International said on Saturday that the “targeting of security facilities where detainees are held” and the Islamic Republic’s “refusal to release all those arbitrarily detained and grant humanitarian release to others imprisoned is knowingly placing those prisoners at risk of death or serious harm”.
“Some prisoners have been transferred to unidentified locations or areas near potential military objectives, intensifying concerns for their safety,” the organisation added. “Authorities are also subjecting prisoners to enforced disappearance and denying them access to adequate food and water.”
Baha’is
Baha’i Couple Behzad Yazdani and Romina Khazali arrested in Shiraz
Iran Press Watch (30.03.2026) – A knowledgeable source close to the family confirmed the matter to HRANA and said that Mr. Yazdani was arrested on the evening of Saturday, March 28, by IRGC intelligence agents and then transferred to Adelabad Prison, Shiraz. Hours after his arrest, agents returned to the family’s residence and confiscated electronic devices such as laptops and the mobile phones of family members.
According to the same source, on Sunday, March 29, agents again went to their home and violently arrested Romina Khazali, Mr. Yazdani’s wife. Agents also interrogated the couple’s 14-year-old daughter and, after once again searching both their home and the home of Ms. Khazali’s parents in the same building, confiscated several religious books, religious images, and computer storage devices belonging to them.
Mahsa Sotoudeh, a Baha’i citizen living in Shiraz, arrested
Iran Press Watch (30.03.2026) – Mahsa Sotoudeh, a Baha’i citizen residing in Shiraz, was arrested yesterday by IRGC intelligence agents and transferred to an undisclosed location. The family home of this citizen was also searched by agents, and the electronic devices belonging to family members were confiscated.
Young Baha’i in Iran faces mock hangings, torture, and imminent danger
BIC (24.03.2026) – Peyvand Naimi, a young Baha’i in prison in Kerman, Iran, faces imminent danger after enduring two mock hangings, prolonged torture and interrogation, as Iranian authorities attempt to force him to confess to crimes he did not commit.
Mock executions are severe forms of mental torture and are banned under international law.
Baha’i citizen Shayan Abadi arrested by Intelligence agents in Kerman
Iran Press Watch (24.03.2026) – Shayan Abadi, a Baha’i resident of Kerman, was arrested yesterday by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in the city and transferred to an undisclosed location.
Based on information received by HRANA, Shayan Abadi, 31 years old, was arrested on Monday, March 23, 2026 by agents of the Ministry of Intelligence in Kerman. As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding his place of detention or the charges against him.
Borna Naeimi, a Baha’i citizen, arrested in Kerman
Iran Press Watch (03.03.2026) – Borna Naeimi, a Baha’i citizen residing in Kerman, was arrested yesterday by security forces and taken to an undisclosed location.
Based on information received by HRANA, Mr. Naeimi was arrested on Sunday, March 1, 2026, by security forces who used violence at his workplace during the arrest. As of the time of this report, no information is available regarding his whereabouts or the charges brought against him.
