Name: Hadi (Moslem) Rahimi
Age: 32
Country/Area of Origin: Rasht, Iran
Background: Rahimi is a Christian convert
Reason for Arrest:
In February 2020, Hadi Rahimi and three other Iranian Christian converts – Ramin Hassanpour, Sakine (Mehri) Behjati, and Saeede (Kathrin) Sajadpour – were arrested for their membership in the local Rasht division of the Church of Iran. In August, Rahimi was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment on charges of “acting against national security” and “spreading Zionist Christianity”. Prior to the sentencing, in May the group of four spent a week in Rasht’s Lakan Prison as they were unable to afford the bail amount set at 500 million tomans; they were then released on a reduced 200 million toman bail.
In September 2020, Rahimi’s, Hassanpour’s, Behjati’s, and Sajadpour’s appeals were rejected.
Latest Updates:
- 9 January 2022: Rahimi has been summoned to Tehran’s Evin Prison and has officially started serving his sentence. He leaves at his home a wife and a 9-month old daughter.