Evangelical Church in Iran Denounce Government Crackdown

The Iranian Evangelical Church has strongly criticised a crackdown by the local authorities on its church members.

New regulations will mean that churches now need to inform the authorities of all members.

Pastors with official churches must now submit a name list to the intelligence ministry detailing all those who take part in the ceremonies and functions of the church.

Under this measure, the pastors will also need authorisation from security forces to celebrate the Holy Communion.

There has been a significant crackdown on Christians, especially those who are from the Evangelical Church, since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was elected as the president in June 2005, according to Open Doors.

The number of Christians in Iran is less than one per cent of the population of over 70 million, according to the 2006 census.