Iranian Christians face lashings for communion wine
October 29, 2013: Four Iranian Christians were sentenced last week to 80 lashes each
for drinking communion wine during a communion service at a house church. The four
men were charged in court with drinking alcohol and possessing a receiver and satellite
antenna in Rasht, a city 200 miles northwest of Tehran, on Oct. 6. The verdict was
delivered to the men Oct. 20, and they have been given ten days to appeal the sentence,
the group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports.
Iran is an Islamic Republic,
and Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol. Non-Muslims account for less than one
percent of Iran's population. The charged men are members of the Church of Iran, a
Protestant ecclesial community. Two of the men were arrested Dec. 31, 2012, during
the government’s crackdown on house churches.
Mervyn Thomas, head of Christian
Solidarity Worldwide, criticized the sentence. “The sentences handed down to these
members of the Church of Iran effectively criminalize the Christian sacrament of sharing
in the Lord’s Supper and constitute an unacceptable infringement on the right to practice
faith freely and peaceably,” he said Oct. 23. He urged the Iranian authorities to
ensure Iran’s laws do not violate the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights, to which Iran is a signatory. He said the government should guarantee “the
full enjoyment of freedom of religion or belief by all its religious communities.”
The sentencing follows the Oct. 4 release of a report from Ahmed Shaheed,
the U.N. special rapporteur on human rights in Iran. Shaheed said there are still
allegations of rights violations, although the Iranian government has accepted recommendations
to extend rights guaranteed under international law to members of all religious groups.
These alleged violations include limitations on freedom of expression, assembly, and
association. Members of minority religious communities, including Christians, are
“increasingly subjected to various forms of legal discrimination, including in employment
and education, and often face arbitrary detention, torture and ill-treatment,” the
report said.
More than 300 Christians have been arrested since 2010, with dozens
of church leaders convicted of national security crimes for their church activities.
At least 20 remain in custody. Evangelical Protestant groups, many of whose members
are converts, are particularly affected, according to the report.
The Iranian
government responded to a draft version of the report, contending that it was a “politicized
report” based on “invalid” sources. “The Islamic Republic of Iran has been and continues
to be transparent and responsive to human rights issues,” the government said.
Saeed
Abedini, a Protestant pastor, has been imprisoned by the Iranian authorities for over
a year. He was charged with threatening national security for his work with non-religious
orphanages in the country. He had previously worked with house churches in Iran, and
human rights groups contend that his Christian faith is the real reason for his eight-year
sentence.