Iranian court acquits 11 Christians

Christians in Iran have walked free from court after a judge cleared them of crimes against the order of the country.
Friday, May 20, 2011

The 11 Church of Iran members had been charged with “action against the order of the country” and drinking alcohol, after joining a house church meeting and taking communion wine.

The churchgoers were arrested in April and brought before the Revolutionary Tribunal in Bandar-Anzali for a rushed hearing on May 1.

In its written verdict, the court determined that the group were taking part in a Christian ceremony and therefore within their rights under Article 13 of the Iranian Constitution, which allows Zoroastrians, Jews and Christians to “perform their religious rites and ceremonies, and to act according to their own canon in matters of personal affairs and religious education”.

According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the judge concluded that there was no evidence to suggest that the group had been acting against national security or the order of the country. the rest