Iranian Christian Couple Flee Country After False Imprisonment, Torture and Persecution
A Christian couple from Iran who faced persecution for their religious beliefs were attacked after they were released from prison and had to flee their native land.
Arash Kermajani and Arezoo Teymouri, 29 and 26 respectively, were arrested and taken from their home in September 2010 by officers from the Islamic state, and were held for almost eight months in prison, according to Farsi Christian News Network.
They were allegedly separated, and then forced to go through intense psychological torture, while military personnel attacked their Christian beliefs and values every day. The guards also placed them in solitary confinement, and Teymouri was even taken to a hospital due to a hunger strike.
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"We -- were watching a film when State Security agents stormed in, the shock and induced fear caused spasms of bleeding, which coupled with the hunger strike that I started soon after, reduced my blood pressure to such a dangerously low levels that they were forced to take me to the city's main hospital, demanding that I should not communicate nor speak, with anyone,” said Teymouri in an interview with the FCNN.
“They ridiculed and debased me at every opportunity. Whenever I spoke of my Christian beliefs they imitated, ridiculed, and laughed at me,” Teymouri added.
She also said that her faith gave her strength to withstand the torture and trust in Jesus Christ despite her terror.
Kermajani revealed that the first few days in prison were the hardest for him, and that he was not sure how his wife was treated. He shared in the interview that his faith was also attacked and the guards tried to make him admit falsehoods, but he stood firm against them.
After eight months, they were eventually told to leave the prison without any warning. Kermajani revealed that after they got into a hired car to go home, people on motorcycles ganged up on the vehicle and started throwing bricks at the windows.
The couple managed to get away, but soon after that, they fled Iran and are now in an unidentified neighboring country planning to start a new life somewhere else.
Kermajani admitted that they never wanted to leave their country of birth, but they were left with no choice as they wished to continue, “serving the Lord” and not have to live in fear of Islamic vigilantes.
