Prison sentences given to Christians in Iran in 2024 were six times harsher than in the previous year, and over four times as many were sentenced last year than in 2023, a new report has revealed.
The shocking new statistics were revealed in ‘The Tip of the Iceberg’, a report co-released by Article 18, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Middle East Concern.
The study found that 96 Christians were sentenced to a combined 263 years in jail last year, compared to 43½ years given to 22 believers in 2023. Notably, five Christians received 10-year prison sentences, while another was given 15 years. The large increase is owed partly to a backlog in the court system caused by a growing persecution towards Christians, largely through false financial allegations of foreign funding and forced confiscation of property.
While the statistics are noteworthy, the report made clear that it only documented ‘a fraction of the violations’ committed against Christians, with many more going unreported. This was highlighted by a leak of over 3 million case files of the Tehran judiciary from a 15-year period starting in 2008, which includes cases of over 300 Christians who faced charges related to their faith, while many more were not officially recorded by authorities.
‘Unjust suffering’
Elam Ministries, which works to share the gospel in Iran and other Muslim-majority countries in the region, were asked about these findings, and their Executive Director David Yeghnazar said: ‘This report exposes afresh the unjust suffering Iranians face for following Jesus.
‘The courage that Iranian Christians showed last year was remarkable; many witnessed for Christ powerfully even in the midst of their pain. As a result, the church in Iran continued to grow. I pray this report will serve as a clarion call for many to uphold Iran’s suffering but growing church in prayer.’
