UN experts demand Iran justify seizure of historic Tehran Protestant church and Christian evictions

In July, Iranian authorities seized St Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran, a 10-acre property that included residences, two schools and offices used by the Bible Society and the Council of Evangelical Churches of Iran, and expelled roughly 20 families from historic Assyrian and Armenian Christian communities. On July 10, UN Special Rapporteur Mai Sato on the situation of human rights in Iran and Special Rapporteur Nazila Ghanea on freedom of religion or belief sent an official communication to the Iranian government demanding clarification, which was disclosed only after the mandated 60-day confidentiality period.

The rapporteurs said the incident seems to reflect a decades-long campaign targeting Persian-speaking Christian worship, citing numerous other church properties that have been confiscated, demolished or repurposed, and noting that none of the three Anglican churches permitted to preach in Persian have reopened since COVID-19. They have received no reply, and the church remains under the guard of regime forces. The UN experts condemned the forced evictions as incompatible with international human rights law, stressing the loss of both homes and a place of worship for the community.