18 years imprisonment and exile for 3 Christian Priests

HRANA News Agency – Three Christian Priests, “Behnam Irani”, “Reza Rabbani” and “Abdolreza Ali Haghnejad” were sentenced to 18 years imprisonment at Islamic Revolutionary Court.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), “Behnam Irani” who is a converted Christian Priest was already sentenced to 6 years imprisonment before and with the recent verdict by Islamic Revolutionary Court, He is sentenced to another 6 years imprisonment.

This converted Priest is now serving a 12 year imprisonment sentence at Karaj Central Prison.

Back in 2006, Mr “Irani” spent several months under arrest because of his church activities and on the charges of “Arranging prayer ceremony at his home” and “Propagation of Christianity”. On 23 February, 2008, he received a 5 year suspended sentence at the Branch 30 of Tehran Appeal Court on the charges of “Acting against national security”.

In 2010, “behnam Irani” was again sentenced to 1 year imprisonment sentence on the charge of “Propaganda against the regime” and his 5-year suspended sentence was added to this sentence so he served 6 years imprisonment.

Priest “Abdolreza Ali Haghnejad”( Matias) and “Reza Rabbani” ( Silias), each received a 6 year imprisonment and exile sentence to Minab and Bandar-e-Abbas Prison.

These two have been arrested this year and currently serving their sentences at Karaj Central Prison.