Iran: Update to Responses to Information Request IRN3090 and IRN3103 of 1 December 1989 and IRN4118 of 12 February 1990 on consequences for converting to, or showing intention to convert to, Christianity from Islam
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 January 1996 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IRN22544.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran: Update to Responses to Information Request IRN3090 and IRN3103 of 1 December 1989 and IRN4118 of 12 February 1990 on consequences for converting to, or showing intention to convert to, Christianity from Islam, 1 January 1996, IRN22544.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6acb45b.html [accessed 31 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to Amnesty International Report 1991, which is available in Regional Documentation Centres, in December 1990 Reverend Hossein Soodmand was executed in Mashahd, apparently on charges of apostasy, punishable by death under the Islamic Penal Code of Iran. He had converted to Christianity from Islam more than 20 years ago (1991, 122).
The attached Amnesty International Urgent Action publication refers to the arrest and sentencing to death of another convertee, Reverend Mehdi Dibaj (6 July 1994). The body of the reverend, who had been released in January 1994, was found in July 1994 (ibid.).
The attached AFP report refers to the sentencing to death of Mehdi Dibaj on charges of apostasy (14 Jan. 1994). The report states that the Sharia (Islamic law), which is in force in Iran, provides for the death penalty for those Muslims who renounce Islam.
A representative of the Foundation for Iranian Studies in Bethesda, Maryland, provided the following information during a telephone interview on 4 January 1996.
Religious law provides for the death penalty for renouncing Islam; the representative was not aware whether similar punishment also exists in Iranian civil law. According to the representative, Muslim individuals who have converted to Christianity but who have not announced their conversion do not face problems. However, those convertees who have made their conversion public would face difficulties. According to the specifics of each case, these difficulties range from different types of ill-treatment to the death penalty.
Apart from the above-mentioned two cases, the representative had no information on the imposition of the death penalty on other Muslim individuals for their conversion to Christianity.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Agence France Presse (AFP). 14 January 1994. "Iranian Pastor to Be Hanged for Converting to Christianity: Report." (NEXIS)
Amnesty International. 6 July 1994. Urgent Action: Iran: Fear for the Lives of Church Leaders. (AI Index: MDE 13/07/94). London: Amnesty International.
Amnesty International. 1991. Amnesty International Report 1991. New York: Amnesty International USA.
Attachments
Agence France Presse (AFP). 14 January 1994. "Iranian Pastor to Be Hanged for Converting to Christianity: Report." (NEXIS)
Amnesty International. 6 July 1994. Urgent Action: Iran: Fear for the Lives of Church Leaders. (AI Index: MDE 13/07/94). London: Amnesty International.
