Reports from inside Iran indicate that on April 7, a newly converted Christian called Mohammad Bahrami, 32, who had been summoned to Ahvaz’s Intelligence, was apprehended and taken to an undisclosed location.
The Intelligence Ministry interrogators demand from the newly converted to Christianity to distance themselves from their beliefs and refrain from participating in Christian religious ceremonies. In case they refuse, they will be arrested, interrogated, battered and held in limbo in prisons. On many occasions they are condemned to heavy prison sentences.
Presently, three Christian compatriots have been arrested in the armed raid of Intelligence Ministry agents in March 2013 on Christian families at the Karkheh River. They were there on a picnic. They are imprisoned in the Intelligence Department prison or in Karoun Prison of Ahvaz. These three are: the worker of the church Mr. Amin Khaki who is held at the Intelligence Department prison, and the two newly converted Hossain Barani and Rahman Bahman who are held in Karoun Prison in limbo. The report on them had previously been published by Iran News Update at the time.
Mohammad Bahrami was there with the arrestees at the time and held for a few hours, interrogated, battered and then released on bail.
It is remarkable that currently a large number of Christian compatriots are being held in Evin Prison of Tehran, Gohardasht Prison of Karaj, in Shiraz and elsewhere. Amongst them are pastors Saeid Abedini and Behnam Irani who is in dire physical condition.
