Pastor Joseph Shahbazian

An Iranian appeals court recently informed Pastor Joseph Shahbazian that the appeal of his 10-year sentence for “acting against national security” due to his Christian activities has failed.

He has received an additional six years’ imprisonment for “gathering and collusion.”

The pastor’s wife, Lida Alek-Sani, was also denied her appeal of a 10-year sentence for “acting against national security” and given an additional five years’ imprisonment for a second charge of “gathering and collusion.” She was arrested in April 2025 but has been out on bail since May 2025.

Pastor Shahbazian was resentenced to 10 years in prison. He had previously been sentenced to 10 years and had served one year before being pardoned in September 2023. He was re-arrested in February 2025, and in late 2025 again sentenced to 10 years for activities related to his faith. The prosecutor wrote, “In accordance with the teachings of the Protestant and Assemblies of God churches, the defendant considers the purpose and motivation of his evangelistic activities to be fulfilling the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel to all nations and peoples of the world.”

Pastor Joseph, an Armenian-Iranian, was initially arrested on June 30, 2020. On June 6, 2022, Pastor Joseph was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of “acting against national security” for leading home churches attended by Muslim converts to Christianity. Iranian authorities view those who attend and lead house churches as “enemy groups.” Pastor Joseph began serving his 10-year sentence on August 17, 2022, when his appeal was denied.

In September 2023, thirteen months later, Pastor Joseph received a pardon and was released along with numerous other Christian prisoners during a general amnesty. Throughout his time in prison, Pastor Joseph suffered from a medical condition.

Pastor Joseph Shahbazian was rearrested in his home on February 6, 2025, and taken to Iran’s notorious Evin prison. In late 2025, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for activities related to his faith. The prosecutor wrote, “In accordance with the teachings of the Protestant and Assemblies of God churches, the defendant considers the purpose and motivation of his evangelistic activities to be fulfilling the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel to all nations and peoples of the world.”

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Joseph Shahbazian
Evin Prison
Saadat Abad
Tehran
Islamic Republic of Iran