Church Leaders in Iran Released Following Arrest for 'Their Christian Faith'

A Christian couple, who ran a church in Mashdad, Iran, have been released following their arrest nine days before.

Reza (Amir) Montazemi, 35 and his wife Fereshteh Dibaj, 28, were released on bail last week in Mashdad, northeast Iran. They were reunited with their six-year-old daughter, Christine, in the afternoon, reports Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW).

Issa Dibaj, Fereshteh's brother, has reported that the couple were not subject to physical mistreatment while in custody.

Formal charges have still not been pressed against the couple, but the authorities have indicated that their arrest and detention was in connection with their Christian faith and activities. The couple lead a church in Mashdad.

The couple were arrested around 7am local time on Tuesday 26 September 2006, when their apartment was raided by Iranian secret police. Several items were confiscated, including computers and Christian literature.

|QUOTE|Amir's mother was originally told that they had been taken to a local police station, but later found out that they had been taken to a secret police station, explains CSW.

Amir telephoned his family briefly on Friday 29 September, but it was not until late on Tuesday 3rd October, a week after her arrest, that Fereshteh was able to contact her family.

Fereshteh was raised in a Christian home. She is the youngest daughter of Rev. Mehdi Dibaj, who was killed in 1994. He had spent over nine years in prison on charges of apostasy. He was sentenced to execution, but was released following international pressure. Six months later he was abducted and assassinated on his way to attend Fereshteh's birthday party. Amir adopted the Christian faith in his twenties.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide's National Director, Stuart Windsor, says: "We are delighted that Fereshteh and Amir have been released and reunited with their families. However, we are concerned that they have only been released on bail, even though no charges have formally been brought against them. We will continue to raise the plight of Iranian Christian citizens who are harassed simply because they wish to worship peacefully."