Joseph Shahbazian
Write Letter
Petition OfficialPrisoner 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)
Petition Officials
Masoud Pezeshkian
President
Mailing Address
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Palestine Avenue, Pasteur St., Pasteur Sq.
Tehran, Islamic Republic of Iran
Other Contact Information
Telephone: +98(21)64451
Fax: 98 21 649 5880
Saeed Iravani
Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
Email Address
iran@un.intMailing Address
622 Third Avenue
34th Floor
New York, NY
10017
Other Contact Information
Telephone: 212-687-2020
Fax: 212-867-7086
Ayatollah Sayed Ali Khamenei
Leader of the Islamic Republic
Email Address
contact@leader.irMailing Address
The Office of the Supreme Leader
Soahada Street
Qom, Iran
Other Contact Information
Fax: + 98 251 7 774 2228