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Reports from Iran suggest that the nationwide anti‑government protests, now in their third week, are being met with increasingly violent repression — and Christian citizens are among those affected. The demonstrations, which began on 28 December over economic hardship and dissatisfaction with the clerical regime, have grown into the largest unrest the Islamic Republic has seen in years, with thousands killed and tens of thousands arrested. Independent human rights monitors estimate that deaths from the protests could be in the thousands, though precise figures are difficult to confirm due to a near‑total internet blackout imposed by authorities.
Amid this wider bloodshed, credible reports have emerged that members of Iran’s Christian minority have been killed, wounded or detained after joining or assisting protesters. According to religious freedom groups, some Iranian Christians of Armenian background lost their lives when security forces opened fire on crowds, and others were injured in cities such as Shiraz. Christians have also played a humanitarian role, providing food and water to demonstrators despite the dangers.
The dangers faced by Christians in Iran extend beyond the street protests. Persecution of believers — particularly converts from Islam — has been intensifying for years, with rights organisations documenting sharp increases in arrests, harsh prison sentences, and mistreatment simply for practising their faith openly or owning Bibles.
For Christians inside Iran, the crisis is multidimensional: they risk repression both as political actors and as religious minorities under a theocratic regime that views both dissent and conversion with suspicion. The situation has drawn international concern, as the toll of violence and rights violations continues to climb with little transparency from Iranian authorities.
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