Morteza (Calvin) Faghanpour Sassi, a Christian convert from Varamin in northern Iran, began serving his prison sentence of almost nine years last week. Human rights sources report that he was tortured during six months of pre-trial detention in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Morteza was one of at least seven Christian converts arrested in June 2024 in the cities of Varamin and Pishva in Tehran province. They were held in Evin Prison for between one and six months before being released on bail equivalent to up to €26,000 each and several were pressurised to renounce their faith in exchange for reductions in their sentences.
Five of the converts were sentenced to a total of over forty years in prison by Branch 1 of the Varamin Revolutionary Court in July 2025. Morteza received a total sentence of eight years and eleven months: seven years and six months for “propaganda against Islam through communication with foreign entities” and seventeen months for “insulting the Supreme Leader” in social media posts.
Arrested at work
Morteza was arrested at his workplace in Varamin on 12 June 2024 and security agents later raided his home and confiscated personal belongings including his Bible, evangelistic booklets, his mobile phone and Christian images on the walls. According to Article 18 sources the charges against him included “illegal distribution of Christian literature,” “enrolment in online foreign theological programmes” and posting a caricature deemed offensive to Iran’s Supreme Leader.
During his detention he spent twenty days in Evin Prison’s Ward 209, which is operated by the Ministry of Intelligence, where he was reportedly tortured. He was held for another month in Ward 240 and then transferred to Ward 8 for four months as he was unable to post bail.
Of the five converts sentenced in July only one other has been publicly identified, Hesameddin (Yahya) Jenidi, who was sentenced to eight years and one month in prison on charges of “propaganda against Islam” and “acting against the regime”.
The five Christians’ appeals against their sentences were rejected on 30 September by Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeal.
Peaceful religious activity criminalised
Judge Ashkan Ramesh of the Varamin Revolutionary Court convicted Morteza under Articles 500, 500 bis and 514 of the Islamic Penal Code, which are often used to criminalise peaceful religious activity and dissent.
The United Nations and other human rights organisations have repeatedly condemned Article 500 and related statutes for their use in targeting religious minorities, particularly Christian converts, and have called on Iran to repeal or reform these laws that equate peaceful religious practice with national security offences.
(Article 18, Middle East Concern, Mohabat News)
Photo: Article 18