URGENT ACTION
PUBLIC AI Index: MDE
13/115/2006
02 October 2006
UA 263/06 Incommunicado detention/ Possible prisoners of
conscience
IRAN Fereshteh Dibaj (f)
aged 28 ] Husband and wife
Reza Montazemi (m) aged 35 ]
Fereshteh Dibaj and her
husband Reza Montazemi, who are both Christians, are
being held incommunicado. They are possible prisoners of conscience, who may be
detained solely on account of their religious beliefs.
Fereshteh Dibaj and Reza Montazemi were reportedly arrested in the early
morning of 26 September at their home in Mashhad, northeastern
to reports, security forces personnel in plain clothes entered their home,
claiming to have permission from the appropriate authorities, and conducted a
thorough search of the house. They reportedly confiscated the family computer,
all the Christian literature in the house, and other personal items. Reza
Montazemi reportedly managed to telephone his mother,
asking her to come and
fetch their 6 year-old daughter Christine and look after her. The couple were
then taken away in an unmarked car. Reza Montazemi’s
mother reportedly asked
the security forces personnel where her son and his wife were being taken, and
was told that they would be at the local police station. However, when family
members went to the police station, police officers denied that the couple were
held there. The relatives continued their search throughout the day and finally
located Fereshteh Dibaj and
Reza Montazemi at a local office of the Ministry of
Intelligence. No reason was given for their arrest and the family was not
allowed to see the couple.
Two days later, on 28 September, Reza Montazemi’s
elderly parents were told
that Fereshteh Dibaj and
Reza Montazemi would appear before a
Court
them that he did not know why the police had failed to bring the couple to
court. Unconfirmed reports have suggested that the couple may have attended a
secret court session on 28 September.
Fereshteh Dibaj is the
daughter of Reverend Mehdi Dibaj, a Christian priest
in
been arrested in 1984, and December 1993 he was sentenced to death for apostasy
on account of his conversion to Christianity some 45 years previously.
Although he was released after international pressure, including from Amnesty
International, the charges against him were reportedly not dropped. He
disappeared on 24 June 2004, and was found dead on 5 July.
Reza Montazemi reportedly converted to Christianity
when he was in his
twenties. He and his wife reportedly lead an independent house church in
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Although Christianity is a recognized religion in
some of whom have converted from Islam, often face harassment by the
authorities. Converts from Islam can risk arrest, attack or the death penalty.
Conversion from Islam (apostasy) is forbidden under Islamic Law, which requires
apostates to be put to death if they refuse to reconvert to Islam. There is no
specific provision in the Iranian Penal Code for apostasy, but judges are
required to use their knowledge of Islamic Law to rule on cases where no
specific legislation exists in the Penal Code.
Article 23 of the Iranian Constitution states: "The investigation of
individuals' beliefs is forbidden, and no one may be molested or taken to task
simply for holding a certain belief." Article 18 (1) of the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), to which
states: "Everyone shall have the right to freedom of thought, conscience
and
religion. This right shall include freedom to have or to adopt a religion or
belief of his choice, and freedom, either individually or in community with
others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in worship,
observance, practice and teaching."