RAHANA – Reverend Issavi had visible marks of torture on his body according to his wife Medline Nazanin who visited with him in prison. Nazanin has been told by intelligence officials that the priest may face death sentence.
Rev. Wilson Issavi, the Assyrian leader of the Evangelical Church of Karmanshah was arrested on February 2, 2010, by agents from the Intelligence Ministry while visiting one of his old friends in Shahin Shahr, Isfahan, and moved to an undisclosed location. Earlier, on January 3, Reverend Issavi’s house in Isfahan had been raided by intelligence agents. His church which is one the oldest churches in Kermanshah was sealed and his parishioners became under watch.
According to his wife the reverend is held in an unmarked prison on the Old Shahin-Shahr Road. She has only been allowed to visit with him once since his arrest. According to Nazanin, the priest had visible marks of torture on his body and was in a dreadful condition. She was told by prison authorities her husband is accused of performing baptism as well as converting Muslims to Christianity and is “awaiting his trial and his death sentence”.
On Sunday February 28, intelligence agents raided the house of Hamid Shafiee and his wife, Reyhaneh Aghajari, 2 of Isfahan’s well known house-church leaders. The couple was arrested and taken to an unknown location and a number of their personal belongings including books and CDs were seized by the agents.
Over the past few months under government’s pressure the Assemblies of God Church had to stop Friday evening meetings and the Assyrian Pentecostal church of ‘Shahre Ara’ in Tehran was forced to close its doors.

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