Three Christians from two families in Iran were arrested at their home in Tehran in late January 2009 without charge. They are the married couple Jamal and Nadereh Ghalishorani. Shortly before that, an Armenian Christian from Tehran was also arrested.
The couple are Christian converts from Islam. This is considered "apostasy" and is punishable by death. The three Christians belong to house churches. The arrests have been raining down on Christians in recent months. The reason is unclear. One source believed it is part of a national government plan against non-Islamic faiths.
