UN Experts Question Iran Over Confiscation of Historic Protestant Church

United Nations human rights experts have formally requested an explanation from the Iranian government regarding the seizure of St. Peter’s Evangelical Church in Tehran. The property, which spans approximately 10 acres, included offices for the Council of Evangelical Churches of Iran and the Bible Society, as well as two schools and residential units. Reports indicate that around 20 families from the local Assyrian and Armenian Christian communities were evicted during the takeover, and the site is currently under guard by regime forces.

Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iran, and Nazila Ghanea, the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, issued the communication in July. The experts expressed concern that the seizure reflects a broader, decades-long pattern of state actions against Christian communities. They noted that while there were once approximately 50 Protestant churches offering services in Persian, those opportunities have been effectively eliminated, with remaining Anglican churches in Tehran, Isfahan, and Shiraz failing to reopen since the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the UN officials, the Iranian government has not responded to their inquiries regarding the eviction or potential redress for the affected families. The experts stated that such forced evictions violate international human rights law by depriving a historic community of both their homes and their place of worship.