Txt: Stefanus Alliance, photo: Article 18
Below is a letter sent from prison by Hakob Gochumiyan, first published by our sister organization CSW. Further down, you can read more about his case.
Hakob Gochumiyan was on vacation with his wife and two children in neighboring Iran. Now he is in prison.
“I am Hakob, a citizen of Armenia.
Since August 15, 2023, I have been held in an Iranian prison because of my faith — accused without basis of preaching and teaching Christianity.
I was later sentenced to ten years in prison and fined 50,000,000 tomans (approximately €770 / $880).
The investigation by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence was carried out with gross human rights violations — I had no lawyer, no interpreter, and my family members were threatened with death.
I was also subjected to psychological abuse. They confessed to me the brutal murder of Haik Hovsepian and described it in detail, without a shred of shame. They told me they would kill me the same way.
The charges fabricated by the prosecutor include absurd claims such as ‘leading a crusade to destroy the Islamic Republic’ and ‘giving Baloch children dreams of bread, water, toys, and education.’
These accusations are completely fabricated, unjust, and false — some were even assisted by a ‘Christian’ traitor.
Prison security staff have done everything they can to prevent me from meeting my lawyer. They have not allowed normal conversations and have recorded our meetings without permission. They have also prevented me from meeting with staff from the Armenian embassy.
The unjust sentence was handed down by Judge Iman Afshari. Both the appeals court and the Supreme Court rejected my appeal without acknowledging the fabricated nature of the charges.
Sincerely,
Hakob Gochumiyan”
Who is Hakob Gochumiyan?
Hakob Gochumiyan (36), his wife Elisa, and their two children were visiting Iran on vacation when they were arrested.
Plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Intelligence arrested the couple during a dinner at friends’ home. They were placed in solitary confinement in Tehran’s Evin Prison.
Elisa was released on bail in October 2023 and reunited with the children in Armenia. Hakob, however, was sentenced in February 2024 for “deviant missionary activity contrary to Islamic sacred law through membership and leadership in a network of evangelical Christianity.” He was convicted under Article 500 of Iran’s penal code.
According to Article18, Hakob was not a leader of a house church, as claimed. The conviction was based solely on the possession of seven New Testaments in Persian and visits to two Armenian churches and one Persian-speaking house fellowship.
His appeal was rejected in June 2024.
Haik Hovsepian, whom Hakob referenced in his letter, was murdered by Iranian authorities in 1994. Two other church leaders were also killed.
— “I believe Hakob would be glad that his letter is also translated into Norwegian,” said Article18 director Mansour Borji to Stefanusalliansen.
“Deeply Concerned”
Mervyn Thomas of CSW, who received and first published the letter, said he is “deeply concerned” about Hakob’s imprisonment “based on exaggerated and completely baseless charges, following violations of rights guaranteed under Iran’s constitution and international human rights law to which the country is bound.”
He added:
“We are especially appalled by the psychological cruelty inflicted on him by MOIS officers, who threatened to reenact the brutal killing of Bishop Hovsepian. We are also outraged by the unacceptable violations of his right to legal counsel and the repeated rejections of his appeals, despite the absence of due process in the trial that led to his conviction.”
Thomas called for Hakob’s “immediate and unconditional release,” and urged the international community — especially the Armenian government — to hold Iranian authorities accountable, not only for this miscarriage of justice but for the ongoing abuse of countless other prisoners of conscience.