temples in Iran are non-Muslim.5 In Tehran, there are about 15 churches for 43,987 Christians
(one church for every 2,932 Christians). 6 The lack of official places of worship forces religious
minorities to gather in informal assemblies, such as their own homes which are frequently
termed “house churches”,7 or in underground prayer halls (namaz khane)8 which often get
dismantled by Iranian authorities.9 House churches are often raided by the government on the
basis that they do not hold the necessary permits from the authorities to hold such gatherings.
Attendees are arrested and imprisoned on charges of “acting against national security by
organising and conducting house-churches” or ���propaganda against the state and insulting the
sacred Iranian establishment”.10
The end of 2018 and 2019 saw an unprecedented wave of raids on private house gatherings
related to religion or belief, leading to a large number of arrests, detentions and imprisonments.11
Charges included “breaching national security” or “propaganda against the holy regime of the
Islamic Republic of Iran”.12
The Baha’i faith, with members numbering an estimated 350,00013 in Iran, is not recognised
under Iranian law and does not have any official place of worship. Since August 2005, more than
1,253 Baha’ís have been arrested in Iran solely on the basis of their religious beliefs.14
The lack of places of worship and the regular dismantling of informal religious meetings goes
against the rights of religious minorities to manifest or practice a religion or belief. The threat of
raids, arrests, detentions and imprisonments for those identified as belonging to certain religious
minorities, disincentivises community and public manifestations of their respective religions.
The Iranian legal framework does not adequately protect one’s right to have or to adopt a
religion or belief of one’s own choice and effectively imposes restrictions on the rights of
individuals belonging to religious minorities in Iran. The lack of legal safeguards enables Iranian
5
Based on Province annual data reports, as of 2018.
Ibid.
7
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf
8
2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: Iran, U.S. Department of State, https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-oninternational-religious-freedom/iran/
9
Joint submission to the Human Rights Committee from The World Evangelical Alliance, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, Middle East Concern, Article 18, 29 May 2020 , https://articleeighteen.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/F3430b2020-JointReport_Iran_HRCttee_ListOfIssues-dragged-1.pdf
10
Ibid,
11
Ibid,
12
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July 2019
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
13
Report of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, 18 July https://documentsdds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/222/62/PDF/N1922262.pdf?OpenElement
14
Baha’i International Community, https://www.bic.org/sites/default/files/pdf/iran/the_bahais_of_iran__a_persecuted_community.pdf
6
2