SW News: Former Muslims Sara Ahmadi, 45, and her husband Humayun Zhaveh, 64, were freed of all charges and released in Iran on Tuesday, May 9, because the judge said "it is not a crime to believe in Christianity or attend home meetings with other Christians," according to the appeals court.

According to Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), the couple was arrested by authorities on their way from the province of Mazandaran to the city of Amol on June 14, 2019, and thrown in solitary detention in Sari City, the provincial capital of Mazandaran, on June 17 the same year.

When their trial started, the Revolutionary Court of Tehran accused Zhaveh and Ahmadi of endangering the nation by aligning with evangelical Zionists. This is the usual charge foisted on evangelical Christians who are part of home Church worship groups.

Ahmadi and her husband were each sentenced to eight and two years in jail, respectively. The second penalty for the Christian couple was a two-year ban on leaving the nation and a two-year ban on joining any organizations, groups, or political parties.

However, after accepting the retrial, the Appeals Court of Tehran Province was assigned to hear the case of these two prisoners of conscience and a new trial date of May 9 was set. The appeals court found no opposition or security connections for Ahmadi and Zhaveh. "Reports by Ministry of Intelligence agents regarding home gatherings to promote Christianity, membership in in-home meetings, and participation at home meetings are not regarded as actions against national security and have not been criminalized in this instance," the court said.

According to the Court of Appeals, "closeness with other believers is a normal and regular occurrence," and "holding Christian-related books is also one of their convictions." Numerous Christians, especially converts, have been jailed and imprisoned on false charges like "propaganda against the state" or "acting against national security," citing the Bible as proof.

Meanwhile, a similar reasoning was given to the nine members of the Rasht Home Church around a year earlier when the Supreme Court ruled that "propagating Christianity and establishing a home church" is not illegal.