In 2022, Pastor Joseph Shahbazian was sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment for his Christian ministry work in Iran. After an appeal, he was released a year later. For unknown reasons, however, he was suddenly rearrested on February 6th of this year (2025), and now reportedly faces numerous charges.
Since his rearrest, Iranian authorities have been questioning and threatening Pastor Joseph’s friends. The harassment appears to be an effort to gather evidence against him. One friend was told by his interrogator, “If you don’t help us, we’ll have to resume our unfinished investigation against you.”
On April 12th 2025, governing officials also decided to arrest Pastor Joseph’s wife Lida Alexani whom they’ve placed in solitary confinement. At last report, she was still being detained in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison. Regrettably, neither Joseph nor Lida received permission to attend the funeral that was held on April 14th for his mother who passed away five days prior to the service. The couple’s arrests were particularly challenging before his mother’s passing since Joseph was her primary caregiver.
