Isfahan brothers still missing after Christmas arrest
Two brothers remain missing more than a month after their arrest at a Christmas gathering near Isfahan.
Mansour Mardani-Kharaji, 42, and his brother Mahmoud, 40, were with around eight other Christians at a house-church meeting in Fooladshahr on 22 December when the celebration was raided by plainclothes officials, who showed no warrant and did not state which agency they came from.
Mansour and Mahmoud’s family members, not knowing which agency was responsible for their arrest, have only been threatened and mocked by the local officials they have spoken to, as they have anxiously sought information about their loved ones.
It is not uncommon for Christians in Iran to be held incommunicado for a few days before being able to contact their families.
Last week, Iran was once again ranked among the top-10 worst persecutors of Christians on the annual World Watch List by Open Doors International.