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Iranian Security Forces Kill at Least 19 Christians During Protests
At least 19 Iranian Christians have been killed by security forces during widespread protests against the Islamic Republic’s regime, according to religious freedom organization Article 18. The deaths include recent victims Nader Mohammadi, 35, and Zahra Arjomandi, 51, who were both shot dead on January 8 during separate demonstrations held 1,000 miles apart.
Mohammadi, a father of three young children, was killed in Babol in northern Iran. Arjomandi, a mother of two, died in her son’s arms on the Persian Gulf island of Qeshm in southern Iran. According to Christian news website Mohabat News, authorities withheld Arjomandi’s body for six days before releasing it under strict security measures, including a media blackout and a prohibition on holding a memorial service.
“Today, Christians, like millions of other Iranians, seek the freedom and justice that they have been denied for nearly five decades, and they know well that this comes at a price,” Mansour Borji, executive director for Article 18, told Fox News Digital. “Every year many Christians are arrested and imprisoned under torturous conditions for practicing their right to religious freedom, where a simple act like praying together in house-churches seems like an act of civil disobedience.”
Borji described the regime’s actions as “a crime against humanity that should not go unpunished” and criticized the government for “branding peaceful protesters as ‘terrorists’ and Christians as ‘Zionist mercenaries.'”
Iran’s persecution of Christians has deep roots. According to Borji, “Christians were some of the earliest to experience this, when an Anglican priest and convert to Christianity, Rev. Arastoo Sayyah, was killed in his church office less than 200 hours after the 1979 revolution.”
A comprehensive 2025 report titled “The Tip of the Iceberg,” released by Article 18 in collaboration with Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, and Middle East Concern, details the systematic persecution of Iranian Christians. The report cites Mohammad Nasirpour, deputy prosecutor of Tehran, who stated in a 2022 indictment against four Iranian Christians that “Protestant denomination, with their evangelical nature and mission to Christianize Iran, are perceived as a security threat to the Islamic Revolution, aimed at undermining the Islamic foundation of the Islamic Republic.”
The regime targets various Christian denominations, including Evangelicals, Protestants, and Catholics. In 2017, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested a Catholic mother and her son in the country’s West Azerbaijan Province, confiscating their Bibles and Christian literature.
The exact number of Christians in Iran is disputed. While the Iranian government claims there are approximately 117,700 Christians from recognized denominations as of the 2016 census, Article 18 estimates between 500,000 to 800,000 Christians in the country. Open Doors International places the figure even higher at 1.24 million among Iran’s total population of about 92 million.
According to Christianity Today, Iranian Christians have expressed hope for international intervention to stop the regime’s crackdown. “Everyone was hoping he would do something,” said Shahrokh Afshar, founder of Fellowship of Iranian Christians, referring to expectations of U.S. presidential action following the killing of thousands of protesters in January.
The U.S. State Department has designated Iran as a “Country of Particular Concern” due to “particularly severe violations of religious freedom” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998. This designation reflects the ongoing systematic persecution of religious minorities in the country.
The violence against Christians comes amid broader crackdowns on demonstrations throughout Iran, with security forces responding with increasing brutality to public expressions of dissent against the Islamic Republic’s leadership and policies.
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8 Comments
It’s heartbreaking to see the Iranian regime violently suppressing its own citizens, including religious minorities like these Christian protesters. This kind of state-sponsored violence against peaceful dissent is a grave abuse of power.
This is a devastating report. The Iranian government’s attacks on Christians and other religious minorities are unconscionable. The international community must take urgent action to protect the human rights of all Iranians.
This is a deeply concerning report about the treatment of Christians in Iran. It’s tragic that they are facing such violence and persecution while simply practicing their faith. The Iranian government must be held accountable for these atrocities against its own citizens.
I agree, this is a disturbing violation of human rights. The Iranian regime’s crackdown on religious minorities is abhorrent and must end.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental human right, yet it continues to be denied to many in Iran. The killing of these Christian protesters is appalling and the world must condemn these actions in the strongest possible terms.
Absolutely. The Iranian government’s targeting of religious minorities is unacceptable and runs counter to basic democratic principles. This needs urgent international attention and pressure for change.
The killing of these Christian Iranians is a tragic loss of life and a serious violation of human rights. The Iranian government must be held accountable for its brutal crackdown on religious minorities and pro-democracy activists.
I agree, this is a deeply troubling situation that deserves global condemnation. The Iranian regime’s systematic oppression of religious minorities is unacceptable and must stop.