The Tehran Appeals Court has upheld heavy prison sentences totaling 55 years for five Christian converts in Iran, including two women.
On Sunday, July 5, 2026, the Tehran Appeals Court confirmed a 17-year prison sentence for Ayda Najaflou, an 8-year sentence for Lida Alexani, and 10-year prison sentences for each of the three male Christian converts.
The specific charges fabricated by the mullahs’ regime against these individuals include “propaganda against the state” and “acting against national security.”
Ayda Najaflou, a prisoner of conscience and Christian convert who faces a severe risk of spinal cord injury, was arrested in February 2025. She was initially held in the Ministry of Intelligence’s detention center (Evin Prison’s Ward 209) and was eventually released on bail on December 21, 2025.
Lida Alexani was arrested on April 13, 2025, and was released on bail a month later on May 13, 2025. Both female Christian converts are residents of Tehran.
Although Christianity is officially recognized as a minority religion under the Constitution of the Iranian regime, Iranian security agencies treat the conversion of Muslims to Christianity with particular sensitivity and often respond with harsh and punitive measures.
