According to the Treasury Department’s statement, “Prisoners
held at Evin Prison are subject to brutal tactics inflicted by prison
authorities, including sexual assaults, physical assaults, and electric
shock… senior regime officials regularly downplay the torture and abuse
that occurs in Evin Prison, the abuse of prisoners, including political
prisoners, continues once sham inspections into the prison conditions
end.”
While the exact number of Christians imprisoned in Iran is unknown, ICC
has documented at least 10 converts serving their sentences in Evin
Prison. In these cases, the average prison sentence length is nine
years. At least three Christians are currently released from Evin on
bail, a sum which is often an insurmountable financial burden for the
families.
“Christians
held in Evin are subjected to physical and verbal abuse by not only the
authorities but also by some other Muslim inmates. They are denied
access to Bibles, phone calls and family visits. Evin Prison is run by
the intelligence who behave in complete impunity. It is one of the worst
places of detention in Iran, especially for those who converted from
Islam,” said Mena of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
Matias Perttula, ICC’s Advocacy Director, said, “It
is essential that the United States continue to take a strong
leadership role in pressuring governments like that of Iran to safeguard
all essential human rights for their citizens, including religious
freedom. Iran must be called to account for the wanton brutality taking
place in Evin Prison as well as its wider restrictions on religious
freedom.”
Dr. Mike Ansari of Heart4Iran, an Iranian Christian partnership platform, told ICC, “Most
of the arrested individuals are coerced to divulge information about
their house-church activities and those of their friends, under threat
of criminal prosecution or arrest of family members… Therefore, the case
of every arrested Iranian believer is of utmost importance and should
be monitored.”
A former prisoner in Evin shared with World Watch Monitor, “If
a prisoner’s case got attention, they stopped torturing or raping them
because they knew the world was watching. We heard of many cases of
prisoners who had no voice outside, and many things happened to them.”
Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, said, “Iran’s
Islamic regime views Christianity as a threat to national security. It
is no coincidence, then, that so many Christians are imprisoned in the
country’s harshest jail. The punitive posture of the regime has led to
the conversion of many Iranians, which has only intensified the
targeting of Christians for harassment and persecution. The physical and
mental torture experienced by Christians in Evin Prison will affect
them long after their sentences are over. Their plight cannot be
ignored.”
For interviews with Claire Evans, Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
Source: International Christian Concern (ICC) - www.persecution.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment