Pastor Joseph Shahbazian was resentenced to 10 years in prison. He had previously been sentenced to 10 years and had served one year before being pardoned in September 2023. He was re-arrested in February 2025, and in late 2025, again sentenced to 10 years for activities related to his faith. The prosecutor wrote, “In accordance with the teachings of the Protestant and Assemblies of God churches, the defendant considers the purpose and motivation of his evangelistic activities to be fulfilling the command and will of Christ to deliver the message of the Gospel to all nations and peoples of the world.”
He is currently being held at Evin Prison, Tehran.
