ACLJ Demands U.N. Action as Iran Seizes St. Peter Evangelical Church, Tehran’s Oldest Protestant Church

The Islamic Republic of Iran has seized a historic church building and branded multiple Christian organizations as “hostile” entities. This isn’t just a false label – it’s the pretext Iran is using to shut these churches down, in direct violation of basic religious rights. We are taking action.

We submitted a letter to the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC), outlining these violations and calling on the HRC to take concrete action to address them.

Unfortunately, the persecution of Christians in Iran is nothing new. For decades, Iranian Christians – particularly converts from Islam – have been tortured, interrogated, imprisoned, and even killed by the Iranian government. And just this past month, one of the last functioning Christian churches in Tehran was shut down as well.

In June, the Iranian government began the process of seizing and shuttering the 150-year-old St. Peter Evangelical Church, along with two schools and several church-owned residences. This historic sanctuary served as both a place of worship and a home to nearly 20 families. Following the seizure and subsequent threats from Iranian forces, those families were forced to flee.

Regarding this seizure, our letter to the Human Rights Council states, in part:

While restrictions on the freedom to manifest religion or belief may be prescribed by law when they “are necessary to protect public safety, order, health or morals, or the fundamental rights of others,” restricting peaceful worship or shutting down a place of worship have no nexus to these exceptions. 

That is exactly what Iran is doing – restricting peaceful Christian worship simply because the Ayatollahs don’t like it.

Beyond confiscating St. Peter Evangelical Church, the regime has also declared Christian satellite broadcasters “hostile.” Anyone who cooperates with these networks, or even watches, contacts, or shares their content, can be prosecuted under national security and espionage laws. At least five Christians have already been prosecuted under these laws – prosecutions our letter identifies as “grave violations of international human rights law.”

United Nations Special Rapporteurs have likewise issued a statement condemning Iran’s human rights violations, pointing out that at one point there were around 50 Protestant churches in Iran. Today, there are effectively none.

In addition to officially condemning the Iranian regime’s actions, we have specifically requested that the HRC “ask the Iranian government to return St. Peter Evangelical Church to its rightful owner.”

It is beyond time to put Iran’s ongoing persecution of Christians to an end. St. Peter Evangelical Church was not the first Christian church to be seized by the Iranian regime, but we are determined to make sure it is the last.

Take action with us. Sign our petition: Stop the Slaughter and Torture of Christians in Iran.