‘Illegal Christian activities’: Iran sentences tourist to 10 years in prison for possessing New Testament

Jun 28, 2024 by Jill

by Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post:

An Armenian citizen has been sentenced to a decade in prison in Iran under accusations of proselytizing, which is considered illegal under the country’s strict religious laws.

His conviction was not based on evidence but on the judge’s “personal intuition,” per the Islamic Penal Code of Iran, which permits judicial decisions on mere suppositions of criminal activities.

Hakop Gochumyan was sentenced earlier this month despite no clear evidence, the Catholic outlet Asia News reported.

Gochumyan, along with his wife, Elisa Shahvardian, was arrested during their vacation in Iran in August 2023, according to the Christian organization Barnabas Aid.

The couple was dining with their children at a friend’s house in Pardis, near Tehran, when intelligence agents raided the home, detaining all adults and confiscating several Farsi-language New Testaments and other Christian literature.

The couple’s two children, ages 7 and 10, were with them and left with Shahvardian’s aunt following their arrest, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern said.

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