Sara Ahmadi (45) and her husband Homayoun Zhaveh (64, who has advanced Parkinson’s disease) are Christian converts from Islam who were sentenced in 2020 to eight and two years respectively for their house-church activities in Iran – Sara for leadership and Homayoun for membership. They were imprisoned in separate sections of Tehran’s Evin prison. Sara and Homayoun were released in May 2023, following a ruling at the appeal court in Tehran.
LATEST NEWS (MAY 2023): Sara and Homayoun were acquitted and released from prison on 9 May, following a ruling at the 34th branch of the appeal court in Tehran.
Sara and Homayoun, who live in Tehran, were arrested by Ministry of Intelligence agents on suspicion of belonging to an “illegal organisation” in June 2019 while they were on holidays with several other Christian families in the northern city of Amol, near the Caspian Sea. The other Christians were also questioned but only Homayoun and Sara were detained – first in Sari, near Amol, and then in Evin prison.
Homayoun was released on bail after a month but Sara was held for a total of 67 days, including 33 days in solitary confinement, during which she was subjected to extreme psychological torture.
In November 2020, Sara and Homayoun’s case was heard at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran. Judge Iman Afshari sentenced Sara to eleven years in prison (three for house-church membership and eight for leading the group) and sentenced Homayoun to two years in prison for membership of the group. They were also banned from foreign travel or membership of any social or political group for two years after their release and were given six months’ community service at a centre for people with learning disabilities.
Charges against the couple included “action against national security” through membership of “Zionist missionary Christianity” groups, and Sara was charged with “running illegal groups”.
Sara and Homayoun’s lawyer filed an appeal in which he argued that the law was unclear on how meeting as a group of Christians could be construed as membership of an illegal organisation. He stated: “My clients have always insisted that they haven’t engaged in any actions against national security, nor do they harbour any animosity or hostility towards the government.” The lawyer added that Homayoun’s medical condition would prevent his taking part in any anti-security actions even if he wished to.
Following their appeal hearing at Branch 36 of the appeal court in Tehran in December 2020, Judge Ahmad Zargar reduced Sara’s sentence to eight years (removing her three-year sentence) but upheld all other aspects of their sentences, and in March 2021 they were informed that their case had been forwarded to the government body responsible for enforcing judgments, which could summon them at any moment. Five days later they received a summons by text message to report to Evin prison to begin serving their sentences, but their lawyer applied for a retrial at Iran’s Supreme Court and they remained out of prison while they waited.
In May 2021 those responsible for securing Sara and Homayoun’s release on bail received a written warning that if the couple did not appear at Evin prison within thirty days the property deeds submitted as collateral would be forfeited. Sara and Homayoun’s bank accounts were then frozen.
The following month, Sara and Homayoun were notified that the Supreme Court had rejected their appeal for a retrial and they presented themselves at Evin prison to begin serving their sentences – only to be told that they could return home.
After over a year of waiting and wondering whether they would be summoned again, Sara and Homayoun answered a summons to an administrative office of Evin prison in August 2022, expecting to receive back confiscated property, but instead were imprisoned.
Article 18’s advocacy director Mansour Borji commented, “It is extremely concerning that an elderly man with an extremely serious health condition has been detained, and there is every chance, unfortunately, that the stress of their detention will make Homayoun’s condition worse. We call on the Iranian authorities to immediately release both Homayoun and Sara, who is not only his wife but also his primary carer.”
Sara and Homayoun were released in May 2023, following a ruling at the appeal court in Tehran.
Timeline
June 2019 Sara and Homayoun were arrested on suspicion of belonging to an “illegal organisation” while on holiday in the northern city of Amol. They were detained in Sari (near Amol) and after a few days were transferred to Evin prison in Tehran.
July 2019 Homayoun was released on bail.
August 2019 Sara was released on bail following psychological torture and time spent in solitary confinement.
11 November 2020 Sara and Homayoun’s case was heard at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.
14 November 2020 Judge Iman Afshari sentenced Sara to eleven years in prison (three for house-church membership and eight for leading the group) and sentenced Homayoun to two years in prison for membership of the group. They were also banned from foreign travel or membership of any social or political group for two years after their release and were given six months’ community service. They appealed the verdict.
8 December 2020 Sara and Homayoun’s appeal was heard at Branch 36 of the appeal court in Tehran.
30 December 2020 Judge Ahmad Zargar reduced Sara’s sentence to eight years (removing her three-year sentence) but upheld all other aspects of the couple’s sentences.
14 March 2021 Sara and Homayoun were informed that their case had been forwarded to the government body responsible for enforcing judgments, which might summon them at any moment.
19 March 2021 Sara and Homayoun received a summons by text message to report to Evin prison to begin serving their sentences. Their lawyer applied for a retrial at Iran’s Supreme Court and they remained out of prison while they waited.
9 June 2021 Sara and Homayoun were notified that the Supreme Court had rejected their appeal for a retrial.
15 June 2021 They presented themselves at Evin prison to begin serving their sentences, but were told they could go home.
13 August 2022 Sara and Homayoun answered a summons to an administrative office of Evin prison, expecting to receive back confiscated property, but instead were detained.
30 September 2022 Article 18 reported that Homayoun had been denied medication in prison.
9 April 2023 On Easter Sunday, Sara and Homayoun were informed that the Supreme Court had accepted their third application for a retrial. Their first two applications for a retrial – in June 2021 and November 2021 – were both rejected. Their case will be reviewed by Tehran’s appeal court on 9 May.
9 May 2023 Sara and Homayoun were acquitted and released from prison following a ruling at the 34th branch of the appeal court in Tehran.
Read more about the persecution of Christians in Iran.
(Article 18, Middle East Concern, US Commission on International Religious Freedom)