Ebrahim Firouzi, an Iranian Christian in a weakened state of ill health, was released on 26 October after six years in Rajai Shahr jail.
He is expected to serve a two-year period of internal exile in Sarbaz, a deprived area in Sistan-Baluchestan Province. Since his conversion from Islam to Christianity, Firouzi has endured numerous arrests and periods of imprisonment on charges including ‘plotting against the Islamic regime’, which is typical of those faced by Iranian Christians actively engaged in ministry.
His imprisonment included terms in the notorious Evin prison, where he suffered interrogation. He was repeatedly denied medical and dental treatment, and at one point could not eat properly.