One of the leaders of a house church in Shirza, Ebrahim, following a home invasion by the official and the plain clothes security officers was arrested two weeks ago and taken to an unknown location and since then there has been no news of his whereabouts and condition.
According to reports received by the Iranian Christian News Agency, Mohabat News, Ebrahim Hossin-Zadeh, was arrested by security forces in the provincial city of Shiraz.
According to reliable sources sometime in mid-November of 2014 plain clothes officers of the Ministry of Information arrested this church leader. The sources involved told Mohabat News that this pastor was definitely interrogated and then transferred to the detention center in the city of Shiraz known as the "block No. 100".
As of the publication of this news by Mohabat News there has no information made available to the family of the Christian pastor as to his physical condition and his whereabouts.
This informed source tells Mohabat News that the security forces attacked the personal residence of this pastor and after arresting him searched his home and seized many personal belongings such as books, mobile phone, computer, and other items and took them away to the local office of the Ministry of Information.
Pastor Ebrahim Hsssan-Zadeh is 32 years old and has his own business and became a Christian in 2009.
According to a report from one of Ebrahim's relatives there was contact between them up until Monday November 17, 2014. All contacts was mysteriously lost as of Thursday November 20, 2014. This source continued by saying that it would be a standard practice of the security forces to intimidate and threaten the family of this pastor against leaking any news and information about Ebrahim's arrest and detention to foreign news media. Despite this, no one is aware of this Christian pastor's whereabouts or his physical and mental condition.
It should be reminded that in the last 4 years the home-based churches in the province of Shiraz have been subject to ongoing harassment and intrusions.
On October 12, 2014 a court of appeal in the city of Shiraz upheld the convictions of 6 newly converted Christians by a lower court. According to this report 4 of the convicted by the names of Mojtaba Seyed-Alahedin Hossein, Mohammad Reza Partovi (Kourosh), Vahid Hakati, and Homayoun Shokouhi were convicted of the crimes of participating in home-based churches, interference in the nation security of the Islamic Republic of Iran, proselytization of the Iranians with Christianity, and contact with foreign organizations and were sent to 15 years and two months prison.
Moreover, many domestic news agencies, belonging to the Islamic Republic of Iran, reported the arrest of more than 40 Iranian Christians belonging to home churches in the province of Shiraz in 2012.
Coinciding with the news of the arrests of newly converted Christians of home churches in Shiraz the news of further pressures and intimidating tactics of the government in repressing the Presbyterian churches that operate in Church buildings was also published. These churches have been ordered and placed under severe pressure to refuse admittance to any Farsi-speaking person.
The government officials in charge are attempting to exert pressure and impose repressive measures to prevent the growth and the spread of Christianity in Iran and not only have closed many Christian churches and institutions, they have also arrested and convicted many new Christians to lengthy prison sentences or exiles.