SHIRAZ, Iran — Police in Shiraz, a city in southern Iran, cracked down against known Muslim converts to Christianity during May, arresting members of three Christian families and confiscating their books and computers. The arrests began May 11, when two couples were taken into custody before boarding their flights at the Shiraz International Airport. They were sent directly to jail. All four were subjected to hours of interrogation, with questioning solely based on "their faith and house church activities," an Iranian source said.
The detained Christians were identified as Homayon Shokohie Gholamzadeh, 48, and his wife Fariba Nazemiyan Pur, 40; and Amir Hussein Bab Anari, 25, and his wife Fatemeh Shenasa, 25. Although the two wives were released the same day of their arrest, Anari was detained until May 14 and Gholamzadeh was released May 22. Two hours after the morning arrests of May 11, police authorities invaded the home of Hamid Allaedin Hussein, 58, arresting him and his three adult children. Hussein and two of the children were released. But 21-year-old Mojtaba Hussein remains jailed with no known charges filed against him.
Two more converts to Christianity arrested while talking together in a Shiraz park May 13 also are still in police custody. One man was named as Mahmood Matin and the second man was identified only by his first name, Arash.
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