Iran: Church Raided by Police

Please share
On May 21 five newly converted Christians were arrested in Karaj, Iran after plain clothes security officers raided a house church where they had gathered for a Bible study, according to Farsi Christian Network News (FCNN).

FCNN reported that the leader of the house church, Javad Abtahi, was among those arrested and his house was searched during the raid. … [He] was given no arrest warrant by the security officers and his house was searched without any court authorization,” FCNN said. “In this search and seizure, several Bibles, New Testaments were confiscated and all the participants were handcuffed and taken to an unknown location.”

The families of the arrested believers have tried to ask the government where their loved ones are being held, without any success. FCNN added that the government has always refused to disclose where it holds arrested believers.

This incident is the latest arrest of believers in Iran in recent months. On March 5, Marzieh Amirizadeh Esmaeilabad and Maryam Rustampoor were arrested by Iranian security forces and labeled "anti-government activists." Thirty year-old Marzieh and 27-year-old Maryam are being held at Evin Prison, which is notorious for treating women badly. Recently FCNN reported that both are ill, but their faith in Christ has not wavered. One of them recently said, “I’ve taken up my cross, I now have to bear it.”

The Voice of the Martyrs supports persecuted believers like the five recently arrested and Marzieh and Maryam. VOM encourages you to pray for these believers and others in Iran who risk their lives daily because of their faith. You can also write and send letters of encouragement to Maryam and Marzieh at www.prisoneralert.com NewsAlertsTo receive VOM's News Alerts by email, please fill out the form below. first name * last name * email * * confirm email * * country select your country United States Canada Afghanistan Albania Algeria American Samoa Andorra Anguilla Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Bahrain Bangladesh Barbados Belarus Belgium Belize Benin Bermuda Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina Botswana Brazil Brunei Bulgaria Burkina Faso Burundi Cambodia Cameroon Cayman Islands Central African Republic Chad Chile China Colombia Comoros Cook Islands Costa Rica Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Djibouti Dominica Dominican Republic Ecuador Egypt El Salvador Equatorial Guinea Eritrea Estonia Ethiopia Fiji Finland France French Guiana French Polynesia Gambia Georgia Germany Ghana Gibraltar Greece Greenland Grenada Guadeloupe Guam Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Jordan Kazakhstan Kiribati Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Latvia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Macedonia Madagascar Malawi Malaysia Maldives Mali Malta Marshall Islands Martinique Mauritania Mauritius Mayotte Chiapas (Mexico) Monaco Mongolia Montserrat Morocco Mozambique Namibia Nauru Nepal Netherlands Antilles Netherlands New Caledonia New Zealand Nicaragua Niger Nigeria Niue Norway Oman Pakistan Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Mindanao (Philippines) Poland Portugal Puerto Rico Qatar Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saint Lucia San Marino Saudi Arabia Senegal Seychelles Sierra Leone Singapore Slovakia Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia South Africa Spain Sri Lanka St Vincent & Grenadines Suriname Swaziland Sweden Switzerland Taiwan Tajikistan Tanzania Thailand Togo Tonga Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia Turkey Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom Uruguay Uzbekistan Vanuatu Venezuela Virgin Islands (U.S.) Western Sahara Yemen Zambia Zimbabwe Wallis and Futuna Islands Laos Syria Burma (Myanmar) Congo Gabon Libya Kenya Angola Jersey Reunion Croatia Liberia Moldova Lesotho Tokelau Vietnam Guernsey Pitcairn Svalbard and Jan Mayen East Timor Micronesia Azerbaijan Antarctica Korea, South Saint Helena Cote d'Ivoire Faroe Islands Norfolk Island Falkland Islands Christmas Island Saint Kitts-Nevis Cape Verde Islands Vatican City State Samoa (Independent) Serbia and Montenegro Sao Tome and Principe Virgin Islands (British) Northern Mariana Islands Heard & McDonald Islands Saint Pierre and Miquelon Cuba Sudan North Korea Tibet (China) Iraq Iran Gaza and the West Bank *