IranWire:

An Iranian court has sentenced five Christian converts to a combined 55 years in prison for forming a house church and engaging in Christian religious activities.

Branch 15 of the Tehran Revolutionary Court, presided over by the notorious Judge Abolqasem Salavati, issued the sentences.

Aida Najaflou received prison terms totaling 17 years on three separate charges: 10, five, and two years.

Under Iran's sentencing aggregation rules, she will serve the maximum applicable penalty of 10 years, according to Article 18, a religious freedom advocacy group.

Joseph Shahbazian, Naser Navard Goltapeh, and an unnamed convert were each sentenced to 10 years in prison. Lida Aleksani received an eight-year sentence.

Intelligence forces arrested Najaflou, Shahbazian, and Goltapeh in Tehran in February and transferred them to Evin Prison.

The three had previously been summoned, interrogated, and prosecuted by Iranian authorities for their religious activities, the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reported.

Iran’s government does not recognize conversion from Islam to other religions and considers Christian evangelism “a threat to national security.”

As a result, converts and members of house churches face regular prosecution under broad and vague national security charges.

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