Iranian Christian Convert Released After Two Years in Prison – Billy Graham Evangelistic Association

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A 61-year-old Christian Iranian convert has been released from the notorious Evin Prison in Tehran after serving nearly two years for her role in leading a house church. 
Mina Khajav was arrested at a house church meeting in 2020 and charged with “‘acting against national security by promoting Zionist Christianity.” She was arrested alongside another female Christian convert, Malihe Nazari, and Iranian-Armenian pastor Joseph Shahbazian. The two women were given a six-year prison sentence, and the pastor was given 10 years.
While Malihe and Joseph began serving their sentences in August 2022, Khajavi’s summons to prison was delayed when she was run over by a car, severely breaking her ankle, which then had to be fitted for metal plates. Her new prison report date was January 2024, a month after her 60th birthday, at which time she had not completely healed and was still in pain, according to reports from Article 18. While in prison, she continued to suffer pain, but was denied medical care, the organization said.
The injury forced  Khajav, who also has arthritis, to walk with a limp, making it especially difficult for her to climb to the top bunk bed in her prison cell to sleep at night. Article 18’s advocacy director Mansour Borji called for “immediate and unconditional acquittal,” but to no avail. His appeal also called for Iran to end the harassment of the Christian community and to respect a November 2021 Supreme Court ruling that said “‘the promotion of Christianity and formation of a house church is not criminalized in law’ and should not be deemed a threat to national security.”
Meanwhile, Malihe and Joseph started their sentences in August 2022 and were granted early release in 2023. Khajavi’s sentence was reduced to two years several months ago, leading to her Oct. 20 release. Her previous time spent in detention was taken into consideration. 
Four other Christian converts were arrested at the same house church meeting as Khajavi,  but they were allowed to pay fines in lieu of prison sentences. These arrests, in Yaftabad, were the first in a series of coordinated raids on house churches in Tehran, Karaj, and Malayer during the summer of 2020, said Church in Chains, an Irish charity that supports persecuted Christians worldwide. 
Farsi-speaking Christians are not permitted to hold church services or to worship freely like historic Armenian- and Assyrian-speaking Christians, according to Barnabusaid.org. And since these Christians are converting from Islam, they are punishable as apostates. 
“We are thankful for Mina’s release,” said MEC (Middle East Concern). “But please continue to pray for healing of her ankle and God’s encouragement and guidance. Please also remember to pray for Joseph Shabazian, who was arrested again in January and is being prosecuted along with his wife, Lida, and three other Christians on charges of ‘gathering and collusion’ and ‘propaganda against the Islamic Republic of Iran.'” 
Photo: Article 8

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