Christian World | According to Article 18, a Christian convert summoned to serve five years in prison is outside Iran with her husband; this report has not yet been confirmed by other sources

ACW | October 21, 2026 — A 36-year-old Christian convert summoned to begin a five-year prison sentence is outside Iran with her husband and does not intend to return, the advocacy group Article 18 reported on Tuesday, October 20.

According to Article 18, she was summoned last Saturday, October 17, to report within five days to Qarchak Women's Prison, south of Tehran. The group says she had already been living outside Iran for some time.

Article 18 says a Revolutionary Court in Tehran province sentenced her and nine Christian convert friends in May 2025 to a combined total of nearly 30 years. Her sentence was for "promoting deviant beliefs contrary to the sacred law of Islam" under Article 500 bis of Iran's Islamic Penal Code.

According to the group, Revolutionary Guards agents raided her mother's home in Tehran in October 2024, after which she was threatened with arrest.

Article 18 says her husband was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents about a month later and held for nine days, during which he was subjected to "psychological torture".

He was then charged under the same article before a Revolutionary Court in Gilan province, accused of propaganda activity and setting up a Christian proselytising network, Article 18 reports. He was released on bail of about $7,000 and later joined his wife in a neighbouring country; the outcome of his case is unclear.

The group also says at least one of her sentenced friends has been summoned to serve their sentence, but it is unclear whether they have gone to prison. Iranian authorities have not commented. This report has not yet been confirmed by other sources.

Background: The report came days after Article 18 said on October 16 that another Christian convert had been pardoned and released from the rest of a two-year sentence. On October 15, the group reported that prisoners in Evin's women's ward, including a Christian convert, had been denied visitors as punishment.

Why it matters: According to Article 18, the charges against the couple relate to their Christian religious activity. Such cases restrict the freedom of religion or belief of Christian converts in Iran and push them to leave the country.

ACW will continue to follow this story.

Source: Article 18 — Christian converts flee Iran before prison summons

Photo: Article 18