Joseph Shahbazian

Update August 3, 2026

An Iranian appeals court recently informed Pastor Joseph Shahbazian that the appeal of his 10-year sentence for “acting against national security” due to his Christian activities has failed.

He has received an additional six years’ imprisonment for “gathering and collusion.”

The pastor’s wife, Lida Alek-Sani, was also denied her appeal of a 10-year sentence for “acting against national security” and given an additional five years’ imprisonment for a second charge of “gathering and collusion.” She was arrested in April 2025 but has been out on bail since May 2025.

Update January 16, 2026

Pastor Shahbazian was resentenced to 10 years in prison. He had previously been sentenced to 10 years and had served one year before being pardoned in September 2023. He was re-arrested in February 2025, and in late 2025 again sentenced to 10 years for activities related to his faith. The prosecutor wrote, “In accordance with the teachings of the Protestant and Assemblies of God churches, the defendant considers the purpose and motivation of his evangelistic activities to be fulfilling the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel to all nations and peoples of the world."

Prisoner Details

Pastor Joseph Shahbazian, an Armenian-Iranian, was rearrested in his home on February 6, 2025, and taken to Iran's notorious Evin prison. No reason for the arrest was given. He remains behind bars without charges and has been denied access to a lawyer.

Pastor Joseph was initially arrested on June 30, 2020. He was released after a lengthy bail process in which prosecutors initially asked for 3 billion tomans (around $150,000 USD). They later reduced his bail to a still-exorbitant amount of 2 billion tomans ($100,000).

On June 6, 2023, Pastor Joseph was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of "acting against national security" for leading home churches attended by Muslim converts to Christianity. Iranian authorities view those who attend and lead house churches as "enemy groups." Pastor Joseph began serving his 10-year sentence on August 17, 2022, when his appeal was denied.

In September 2023, thirteen months later, Pastor Joseph received a pardon and was released along with numerous other Christian prisoners during a general amnesty. Throughout his time in prison, Pastor Joseph suffered from a medical condition.

No reason was given for his rearrest on February 6, 2025.

(Source: Article 18)