Persecution of Christian converts in Iran has surged sixfold in the past year, with the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI) reporting violent arrests, interrogations, lengthy prison terms, and mistreatment. Over 300 have been prosecuted in Tehran alone, with nearly 100 more sentenced to lengthy prison terms for simply practicing the faith. βThe Christian community in Iran is facing a crisis. The Iranian authorities are abducting growing numbers of Christians and throwing absurd national security charges at them in order to imprison them for years for doing nothing other than peacefully practicing their faith,β said Hadi Ghaemi, the executive director of CHRI. While Iran recognizes the three Abrahamic religions, Islam, Christianity and Judaism, conversion out of Islam is deemed a crime equivalent to treason, which can even lead to execution. Last year, CHRI quotes the Article 18 organization as saying the authorities handed down a total of 263 years in prison to 96 Christians, up from 43.5 years for 22 people in 2023, the arrests carried out by Iran's Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) intelligence agents.