Iranian Christian arrested by secret police

Iranian Christian arrested by secret police

GORGAN, Iran — An Iranian Christian who converted from Islam 33 years ago is under arrest and interrogation in northern Iran, where secret police have held him incommunicado. Ali Kaboli, 51, was taken into custody May 2 from his workshop in Gorgan, capital of Iran’s northern province of Golestan. To date, no charges have been filed against Kaboli, who has been threatened in the past with legal prosecution for holding “illegal” religious meetings in his home. He could also be charged for converting to Christianity, which under Iran’s apostasy laws calls for the death penalty. “[Police] pushed him to leave the country about three years ago, but he told them he preferred to stay inside the country, even if it meant living in an Iranian jail.”