At least 19 Christians have been killed amid Iran’s violent suppression of anti-government demonstrations, according to a religious freedom watchdog that says the confirmed death toll increased after two additional Christian converts were fatally shot last month.
Article 18, a U.K.-based organization that tracks religious freedom conditions in Iran, identified the two latest victims as 35-year-old Nader Mohammadi and 51-year-old Zahra Arjomandi. The group said both were shot on Jan. 8 during separate protest events held approximately 1,000 miles apart, raising the documented number of Christian deaths linked to the unrest to at least 19.
The advocacy group maintains that Iran’s government continues to tightly control religious expression, particularly targeting Christian converts from Islam, whom authorities often treat as threats to national security. Christians in the country frequently face arrest, extended prison terms and harsh prison conditions, according to monitoring organizations.
In December, five Iranian Christians were handed combined prison sentences totaling 50 years in cases related to house church activities. Their convictions stemmed from participation in prayer meetings, baptisms and the distribution of Bibles under revised penal code provisions enforced by Tehran’s Revolutionary Court.
Judge Abolqasem Salavati reportedly sentenced four of the defendants to 10 years each and another to eight years, while one woman received an additional two-year term tied to social media activity.
Authorities charged the individuals with collusion and anti-state propaganda. According to reports, officials delayed notifying the defendants of the verdicts for weeks after the hearings and permitted only a 20-day appeal window before the same court.
Legal filings cited a 2010 address by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei that described house churches as a national security concern. During the investigation, officials confiscated Christian literature and Bibles from the accused and transferred the materials to the Ministry of Intelligence as part of ongoing proceedings.
The wave of protests began on Dec. 28, fueled by economic hardship and broader dissatisfaction with Iran’s leadership. Demonstrations quickly spread to more than 100 cities and towns across the country, while solidarity rallies abroad also attracted international attention, according to the BBC.
The reported deaths of 19 Christians occurred during demonstrations on Jan. 8 and 9, when security forces responded to mass protests with live ammunition. The broader crackdown significantly increased the overall casualty count among protesters and civilians.
Independent monitoring group HRANA has estimated that more than 7,000 protesters were killed, while Iranian officials have acknowledged at least 3,000 deaths, attributing some to security personnel. Other accounts suggest that the true number of fatalities may reach into the tens of thousands.
