In Depth:  Christian Solidarity Worldwide / Barnabas Fund

Four Assyrian Christians, including a six-year-old girl, who were among a group of at least 220 Christians abducted by Islamic State (IS) from their villages in northeast Syria on 24 February, were released on 3 March.

Their release follows that of 19 other Christians. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an IS religious court ruled on 28 February for the release of the 19 hostages in exchange for a sum of money paid for each family as tax for non-Muslims. Over 200 Christians at the time of going to press remained in captivity.

Six members of a group of eight Christians from Shiraz who were sentenced to various prison terms last year had their prison sentences upheld on March 29, following an appeal.

In July 2013, the Christians were charged with ‘action against the national security’ and ‘propaganda against the order of the system’. Mohammad Roghangir was sentenced to six years in prison, Massoud Rezai to five years; Mehdi Ameruni and Bijan Farokhpour Haghighi received three year sentences, Shahin Lahouti and Suroush Saraie received two and half years, and Eskandar Rezai and Roxana Forghi each received a one-year sentence. However, charges against Roxana Forghi were dropped at the appeal and Shahin Lahouti was released from prison in December 2013.