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Two Christian converts who had been arrested separately on the same day by plain clothes security authorities in Tehran, were released on bail of 800,000,000 Toman (approximately 650,000 USD) after one week in solitary confinement and spending 58 days in detention.
According to reporters of Iranian Christian news agency, « Mohabat News» , two Christian converts, Ladan N. and Hooman H. were released on June 10, 2012 after posting the demanded bail.
According to the obtained reports, Ladan and Hooman, who had been transferred to Evin prison immediately after their arrest and subsequently taken to the interrogation office in an illegal court of Shahid Moqadas, received the ruling to be released on bail of 400,000,000 Toman for each (800,000,000 total) (approximately 650,000 USD) and eventually freed after 58 days in detention.
The reason that lawyers and Human Rights activists consider the Shahid Moqadas court illegal is that this court is located within Evin prison and because of the security measures of the place, lawyers cannot enter the court and normally suspects are being interrogated without having access to a lawyer.
Ladan, 26, and Homan, 27, were sent to solitary confinement in the detention center of Evin prison after their arrest and were held there for more than a week.
These two Christian converts were frequently interrogated by security authorities of Evin prison during this one week of solitary confinement while they had lost the sense of time and didn’t know whether it was day or night. The questioning was with respect to their Christian faith, how they converted to Christianity and who helped them in this regard.
Also, during the interrogation, the interrogators had a printed version of Mohabat News’ report on Homan and Ladan’s arrest on their desk and questioned them regarding their connection with Mohabat News and through whom and how the news was given to the news agency.
It is also said, “The accusation against the two Christian converts is for “apostasy” – because of their conversion to Christianity -, action against national security, desecrating holy figures in cyber space and attendance at house church as well as going to a party held to celebrate the baptism of a Christian believer.
It should be remembered that Ladan and Hooman were arrested separately in their homes on April 14, 2012 by a number of plain clothes security officers. Answering the mother of one of the detainees, who had asked “where are you taking my child?”, the agent answered ironically “ask Christ to rescue your child”!
The plain clothes security officers not only attacked the homes of these Christian converts, but they also thoroughly searched them and seized a number of their belongings including their laptops, cameras, books as well as some photos taken from the baptism ceremony of one of their friends in a foreign country.
Their parents were also summoned to the court based in Evin prison. They were asked to go there and answer some questions regarding their children’s activities.
Informed sources have told Mohabat News that the security authorities had also gone to arrest another man called Majid A., however he managed to escape before they arrived to arrest him. The same sources now report that Majid A. has fled Iran reluctantly.