A coalition of religious liberty groups has published a report suggesting that following last year’s “12 Day War” between Israel and Iran, Christians are increasingly being targeted as “scapegoats” by the Iranian government.
According to the report, named “Scapegoats”, the number of Christians arrested for their religious beliefs or activities nearly doubled last year, rising from 139 to 254.
A similar trend was observed when looking at the number of Christians imprisoned, exiled or subject to forced labour, with the number rising from 25 to 57.
The report is the result of a collaboration between Article 18, Open Doors, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) and Middle East Concern and also speaks about the protests which began in Iran late last year.
The protests began with the Bazaris, shopkeepers who are generally loyal to the regime. Essentially going on strike due to concerns about the economy, rather than on political grounds, the Iranian government actually made concessions, such as wage rises and tax cuts.
However, when separate protests against the government itself began, the regime came down on them hard. Thousands are reported to have been killed.
Following the protests, the British government applied sanctions to a number of Iranians believed to have been involved in the crackdown, a move welcomed by CSW.
The Scaepgoats report says, “The response to those protests has been horrifying with reports of many thousands killed, including several Christians, and every Iranian – regardless of their religious background – affected.
“The road ahead for Iran appears far from clear, but as we release this latest annual report of rights violations committed against Christians in 2025, we stand with the people of Iran in their call for leaders who will act on their behalf, rather than repress them.
“For 47 years, the Iranian people have been subjected to a regime that not only consistently fails to uphold human rights for its citizens, but brutally quashes dissenting voices, opinions or beliefs. This report details the violations throughout 2025 experienced by just one section of society – the Christian community.”
Iran is currently ranked the 10th worst persecutor of Christians in the world by Open Doors, with converts from Islam particularly at risk.
