Concerns grow for Christians in Iranian prisons amid strikes

Stephen J. By Bose, Chief International Correspondent of Worthy News

TEHRAN (Worthy News) – Families and friends of several Christians held in Iranian prisons amid the ongoing US-Israeli attacks against Iran have requested prayers as “concerns for their well-being are growing and communications have almost stopped”, Christians told Worthy News on Thursday.

At least 48 Christians are behind bars in the Islamic Republic “because of their Christian faith and related activities”, advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC) said.

Earlier, international human rights group Amnesty International said that “ongoing US and Israeli airstrikes near prisons, as well as targeting of security facilities where detainees are held, are putting prisoners, including children, at risk.”

However, Iranian authorities’ “refusal to release all arbitrarily detained and grant humanitarian release to others imprisoned is deliberately placing those prisoners at risk of death or serious harm,” Amnesty said.

According to rights investigators, some prisoners have reportedly been transferred to undisclosed locations or to areas near potential military sites, raising concerns about their safety. It remained unclear how many Christians were among them. Amnesty said authorities are forcibly disappearing detainees and denying them access to adequate food and water.

fear at evin prison

As tensions rose, in Tehran “family members of Christians held in Evin prison have expressed their concern over the lack of news as calls from the prison have become very rare,” the MEC told Worthy News.

It said it had asked Christians to pray that “prisoners of conscience will be released, but until their release, they will have access to adequate food and health care.”

The MEC also prayed that “US and Israeli forces will not target prisons, as happened in last year’s 12-day war.”

The group said it was important that “families be informed promptly about health problems or transfers of prisoners to other locations,” while asking supporters to pray that “God will comfort relatives and friends worried about their loved ones in prison.”

According to rights investigators and advocacy groups, recent cases include Christian converts such as Mehran Shamlaoui, who faced more than 10 years in prison following his arrest, and believers such as Joseph Shahbazian, Nasser Naward Gol-Tapeh and Aida Najaflow who received lengthy sentences linked to house church activities.

Persecution of Christians by Iran

Iran is ranked 10th on the 2026 World Watch List compiled by Open Doors, which tracks countries where Christians face the most severe persecution.

According to Open Doors and partner organizations, the country remains one of the hardest places in the world to become a Christian, with persecution classified as “extreme”, driven primarily by its strict Islamic governance system and security apparatus.

Conversions from Islam to Christianity are viewed as a threat to national security and are often detained, interrogated, and imprisoned, especially those affiliated with domestic churches.

“The Christian community in Iran is facing a crisis,” said Hadi Ghaemi of the Center for Human Rights in Iran. He said that believers are jailed for peacefully practicing their faith.

According to investigators, authorities often accuse converts of working against the state or maintaining ties to foreign powers, which reinforces the narrative portraying Christianity as a Western influence.

While historic Christian communities such as the Armenian and Assyrian churches are allowed limited worship, they are barred from evangelizing Muslims.

Rights groups say this combination of legal restrictions, surveillance, arrests and imprisonment makes Iran one of the harshest environments for Christians globally – a situation now compounded by the risks posed by the ongoing military escalation.

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