On Thursday, February 6, 2025, Iranian security forces launched a raid on a Christian gathering in Gatab, a district of Babol, in Mazandaran Province, northern Iran. Somayeh Rajabi, a Christian convert, was arrested during the raid and subsequently transferred to the IRGC Intelligence Detention Center in Sari, the provincial capital.
Over 20 IRGC intelligence agents stormed a private gathering of approximately 80 Christians from the cities of Gorgan and Babol. During the raid, they confiscated Bibles, musical instruments, and communication devices, while forcing attendees to provide personal information and unlock their mobile phones.
Security forces reportedly subjected attendees to body searches and aggressively confronted individuals wearing cross necklaces, tearing them off. Additionally, those who sustained injuries during the raid were denied medical assistance.
A day after her arrest, Somayeh Rajabi managed to make a brief phone call to her family, informing them that she had been transferred to a prison in Sari. However, no official charges or details regarding her detention have been disclosed until now.
This incident comes amid growing reports of increased pressure on Christian converts in Iran, as part of the crackdown on religious minorities in the country.
