ICC Note: In a raid on a Christian engagement party over a month ago, three Azeri Christians and one Iranian Christian were arrested by Iranian authorities. Initially ten people were arrested, most were released soon after, however four still remain in custody. Their location remain unknown to the families and no official charges have been brought against the men as of now. It is common practice to arrest and charge Christians as criminals when they are involved in any house church or evangelical activity in Iran.

07/22/2016 Iran (BosNewsLife): Relatives and friends say three Azeri Christians and an Iranian Christian remain behind bars in Tehran, nearly a month after they were detained as part of a larger government-backed crackdown on evangelicals. Seperately, Iranian authorities released Amin Khaki from Ahvaz Prison, after he served part of a one-year sentence for “spreading Christianity” in this strict Islamic nation, supporters told BosNewsLife.

Those detained in the latest known anti-Christian raids by security forces in Iran were identified as Eldar Gurbanov, Yusif Farhadov and Bahram Nasibov from the “Word of Life” Church in Baku, Azerbaijan. The Iranian Christian detained with them on June 24, was not immediately named.

The Christians were taken into police custody after security agents raided an engagement party in Tehran, said advocacy group Middle East Concern (MEC).

“Initially about ten people were arrested, but most were soon released. However Eldar, Yusif, Bahram and an Iranian Christian were taken away and remain in detention. Their [exact] whereabouts are unknown,” MEC added.

“Since their arrest the Azeri detainees have been able to contact their families once or twice. They are being kept in solitary confinement, and consular officials from the Azerbaijan Embassy in Tehran have not been allowed to see them,” the group said.

Eldar, a youth pastor and missions director, reportedly said that he believes they were “set up and caught in a trap.” So far no charges have been brought against the detainees, but Iranian authorities often launch criminal proceedings against devoted Christians involved in house churches or evangelism.

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