The UN’s special rapporteurs (SRs) on freedom of religion or belief and human rights in Iran have condemned the confiscation of the St Peter’s Evangelical Church compound in Tehran and eviction of its residents.

SRs Nazila Ghanea and Mai Sato, in a joint statement, said the “forced evictions” of the 20 Armenian and Assyrian families were “incompatible with international human rights law and risk leaving members of recognised religious and ethnic minorities homeless”.

“This is not an isolated incident, but the culmination of a long pattern of measures directed against Iran’s Christian community, and in particular against Persian-speaking Christian worship,” they added, referencing the demolition last month of another Presbyterian church in Mashhad and closure in 2019 of a church in Tabriz.

“For its residents, the ten-acre compound in central Tehran was far more than property,” the experts said. “It was their home, their school and their place of worship. It included the church building, two schools, residents’ homes and offices, including those of the Bible Society and of the Council of Evangelical Churches of Iran, which owns the land.

“Once, there were around 50 Protestant churches in Iran, most of which offered services in Persian. Today, there are effectively none, as they have either been closed down or have had to stop offering services in Persian. 

“The last three Anglican churches that were permitted to preach in Persian in Tehran, Isfahan and Shiraz have not been allowed to reopen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Freedom of religion or belief includes the freedom to worship in community with others, in one’s own language, and to maintain places of worship. When a church is confiscated, a community loses not only a building but a place of worship and community life.”

The experts added that alongside the closure and confiscation of churches, “Christians continue to face arrest, detention and ill-treatment”. 

“At least 79 Christians are detained or imprisoned, the vast majority of whom are converts,” they said, highlighting the case of Mohammad Nikbakht, whose two brothers were recently sentenced to death and who is also reportedly at risk of execution.

The experts urged the Iranian authorities to allow the “residents and congregation [of St Peter’s] to return, cease all threats and intimidation directed against the church community, and release those arbitrarily detained”, adding that they are “in contact with the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to clarify these issues”.