Christian prisoner Rasoul Abdollahi was conditionally released on 18 February, after serving 15 months of a three-year sentence.
This was said to be for conspiring against the Islamic regime and for evangelism in Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj.
Banned from fellowship
His release was granted on condition that he does not take part in Christian activities or attend Christian services. Mr Abdollahi was originally arrested, along with several other converts, on 26 December 2010.
On 26 January, another Christian convert, Vahid Hakkani, was also conditionally released from Adel-Abad prison on much the same conditions. Arrested on 8 February 2012, Mr Hakkani was one of nine Christian converts discovered in a house-church raid in Shiraz. Most of those arrested that day were released after 36 days, but Mr Hakkani and three others were sentenced to three years and eight months in prison. Two were later granted conditional release in May and November 2014 respectively. However, Mojtaba Seyyed-Alaedin Hossein is still in prison, despite the persistent efforts of his family to obtain his release.
There are many other Christian converts who remain in prison. Among those also arrested on 26 December 2010 was Pastor Farshid Fathi, who was then illegally held for 15 months before being tried in January 2012, when he was sentenced to six years in prison. He is currently serving his sentence in Rajaei-Shahr prison.
New charges
He has not been granted conditional freedom, and is also facing a new charge for which he has been sentenced to a further year in prison. His case is currently under review by the appeals court.
