Persecution In Iran: 'Terror Factory' Targeting Christians

Iran's 'Terror Factory' Targeting Christians

• "In Iran, any practice that contradicts Islam is regarded as a national security threat, punished severely by the court system." — International Christian Concern, 2019.
  
  
• "Revolutionary courts were created to guard against all threats to Islam. These courts have evolved into a well-oiled machine of oppres­sion that operates with impunity under state protection. The courts are closely intertwined with the Intelligence Ministry. Judges have at their disposal Revolutionary Guards (secret police) and a network of prisons used to torture and interrogate Christians." — International Christian Concern.
  
  
• "If you recant and repent, you'll go to jail. And if you don't, you'll be killed." — Dr. Mike Ansari from Heart4Iran, an Iranian Christian minister, reported by International Christian Concern.
  
  
• "Christians may be looking at large fines, detention, lengthy prison sentences, or even execution under Islamic Sharia law. The sentences of Christian converts are left up to the interpretation of the judge and may be founded on anything -- the judge's mood that day, what he had for breakfast, his interpretation of Sharia law, or his level of hatred toward Christianity." — International Christian Concern.
  
  

The daughter of a former pastor in Iran -- Dabrina Bet-Tamraz -- recently described the persecution and suffering to which her family is being subjected after being sentenced to lengthy prison terms for "crimes" related to Christianity.

Speaking from the safety of refuge in Switzerland, where she managed to flee with the help of friends, Dabrina Bet-Tamraz, the daughter of Victor and Shamiram Bet-Tamraz, told Gatestone Institute:

"I was arrested many times in Iran. I was threatened, forced to cooperate with the government against pastors, Christian leaders and church members. I was kept in custody with no legal permit, with no female officer present and in male surroundings.
"I now feel safe in Switzerland, but when Iranian MOIS [intelligence agency] officers published an article on social media with my pictures and home address -- encouraging Iranian men living in Switzerland to 'pay me a visit' -- I had to move to another house."

It has been nearly a year since Dabrina appealed to the UN's Human Rights Council in Geneva to intervene to overturn the "false and baseless charges" imposed on her father, mother, brother and other Christians and Christian converts in Iran. The timeline of her family's arrests is as follows:

• In 2014, Pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz was arrested, along with two converts to Christianity from Islam, during a private Christmas gathering in his home in Tehran.
• In 2016, Ramiel Bet-Tamraz, the pastor's son (Dabrina's brother), was arrested along with four of his friends, all Muslim converts to Christianity, during a picnic in Tehran. They were held and interrogated at Evin Prison, known for its abuse and torture of dissidents.
• In 2017, Pastor Victor Bet-Tamraz and two converts were convicted and sentenced to 10 years in prison for "conducting evangelism" and carrying out "illegal church activities."

Meanwhile, the pastor's wife, Shamiram (Dabrina's mother), was summoned to the Office of the Prosecutor in Evin Prison and subsequently sentenced to 10 years in jail for "membership of a group with the purpose of disrupting national security" and for "gathering and colluding to commit crimes against national security."

Dabrina said that her family has been living in limbo -- something that is taking a psychological and financial toll on their lives and livelihood:

"They are trying to survive, not knowing what is going to happen next, not being able to make plans about their future. Their lives are just on hold.
"They are living with constant anxiety, powerless, not having security and safety even in their own home. They are fully aware of the dangers around them but are not able to do anything to protect themselves. They are watched, controlled and wiretapped; it is their everyday life. Every time they get a phone call, they are filled with fear: It might be Iranian intelligence officers calling them for an interrogation session or a court hearing.

The story of the Bet-Tamraz family is part of what the human rights organization, International Christian Concern, has reported to be "Iran's Terror Factory" targeting Christians:

"In Iran, any practice that contradicts Islam is regarded as a national security threat, punished severely by the court system.
"Revolutionary courts were created to guard against all threats to Islam. These courts have evolved into a well-oiled machine of oppres­sion that operates with impunity under state protection. The courts are closely intertwined with the Intelligence Ministry. Judges have at their disposal Revolutionary Guards (secret police) and a network of prisons used to torture and interrogate Christians."

According to International Christian Concern, Dr. Mike Ansari from Heart4Iran, an Iranian Christian minister, said about victims of this court system: "If you recant and repent, you'll go to jail. And if you don't, you'll be killed."

The International Christian Concern report added:

"The penal code lacks guidance for the judiciary regarding Muslim converts. Christians may be looking at large fines, detention, lengthy prison sentences, or even execution under Islamic Sharia law. The sentences of Christian converts are left up to the interpretation of the judge and may be founded on anything -- the judge's mood that day, what he had for breakfast, his interpretation of Sharia law, or his level of hatred toward Christianity."