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Hakop Gochumyan, an Armenian citizen, was sentenced to 10 years in an Iranian prison in February 2024 for alleged Christian evangelism, highlighting the harsh realities faced by religious minorities in Iran. His conviction was based on "illegal Christian activities" as he had brought a New Testament Bible with him and had discussed Christianity with a local person. Despite appealing the conviction in June 2024, Gochumyan's efforts were unsuccessful, as the court upheld the original sentence despite a lack of concrete evidence.

Gochumyan and his wife, Elisa Shahvardian, who is Iranian-Armenian, were arrested in August 2023 while staying at a friend's house near Tehran. During the arrest, Iranian Ministry of Intelligence agents discovered several copies of the New Testament and other Christian literature among their belongings. This led to their detention at Evin Prison in Tehran, where they reportedly endured solitary confinement and psychological torture. Shahvardian was released in October 2023, but Gochumyan remained imprisoned, facing a lengthy sentence.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has consistently designated Iran as a "country of particular concern" since 1999 due to its poor record on religious freedom. Although Iran's laws technically permit Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians to practice their religions, they are strictly prohibited from engaging in any proselytizing activities that contradict Islamic law. The U.S. Department of State’s 2023 "Report on International Religious Freedom for Iran" highlights the increasing pressure on these religious minorities. In 2023 alone, Iran arrested 166 Christians, with many detained simply for possessing multiple copies of the Bible.

The case of Gochumyan is not isolated. In 2022, Armenian-Iranian house-church pastor Joseph Shahzbanian was sentenced to 10 years in prison for "acting against national security by promoting Zionist Christianity." After a retrial, his sentence was reduced to two years, and he was eventually pardoned and released in September 2023. However, such outcomes are rare, and the persecution of Christians in Iran continues unabated.

As of 2023, 21 Christians remained imprisoned in Iran, according to Article18, a London-based nonprofit organization that advocates for persecuted Iranian Christians.

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Arrested for Reading the Bible: Armenian Christian Sentenced to 10 Years in Iranian Prison| National Catholic Register (ncregister.com)