A group of Iranian Christian converts issued a statement on Sunday in protest to the Islamic Republic’s violation of their rights to work, even in private businesses. 

In their statement published by the United States-based Human Rights Activists' News Agency (HRANA), they said the Islamic Republic authorities seek to impoverish and isolate them from society. 

“The Islamic Republic has deprived Persian-speaking Christians of the right to work and employment”, they said, bemoaning the serious obstacles the authorities have created for their employment and self-employment that have left them with no job opportunities. 

They said the measures taken against them contradict Iran’s the international obligations and even the Islamic Republic’s constitution. 

While Iran persecutes followers of the Baha’i religious community and rejects esoteric philosophies and cults, the constitution recognizes Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Judaism – whose members have official representatives in parliament. However, churches that are allowed to operate are ethnic Christian congregations, such as Armenians and Assyrians.

These established churches are discouraged from accepting new members, and there is official suspicion of evangelical, millenarianist Protestant sects that hold services in Persian. Renouncing Islam is forbidden by Sharia and the punishment could be death, although the government in Iran pursues lesser punishments.