Two Christian converts in Tabriz face 24 years in prison and civil rights ban
Hengaw - Sunday, May 25, 2025
Two Christian converts, Mehdi Rahimi and Kia Nourinia—both residents of Tabriz—have been sentenced by the judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran to a combined total of 24 years in prison, along with heavy financial penalties and extended civil restrictions.
According to information received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Branch 3 of the Tabriz Revolutionary Court, presided over by Judge Hassan Fath-Nejad, recently convicted Rahimi, 49, and Nourinia, 56. Each was sentenced to 10 years of discretionary imprisonment on charges of “promoting deviant Zionist-Christian beliefs in opposition to the Islamic Republic,” and an additional 2 years for “trafficking prohibited goods,” referring to the distribution of religious books. In total, the two men were sentenced to 24 years in prison.
As part of the supplementary punishments, both were fined one billion toman and were banned from exercising civil rights for 15 years.
The trial was held on April 15, 2025, in the absence of the defendants and without providing them the opportunity to present a defense.
On November 4, 2024, agents from the Ministry of Intelligence raided Rahimi’s home in Tabriz, confiscating more than 5,000 Christian books and pamphlets, as well as two computer hard drives. On the same day, Nourinia’s residence was also searched, and authorities seized two mobile phones, a tablet, and additional Christian literature.
