Iran's hit squads could target ex-pat Christians

BRITISH-based Iranian refugees are facing reprisals on UK soil from Islamic hardliners for campaigning against the torture of Christians in their homeland.

According to sources, including a British secret agent, Iranians based in the UK have been told to check their security in the face of possible reprisals from the Iranian government.

The names of British-based Iranians have been mentioned during the torture and interrogation of Christian prisoners in Iran, the sources say.

As a result, Iranian ex-pats have been warned they could face reprisals from hit squads working on behalf of Iran's feared secret service after speaking out in the UK against the shocking treatment being meted out to fellow Christians back in their homeland.

Fears for the safety of the Anglo-Iranian community in Surrey and elsewhere in the UK were raised publicly after the launch of an all-party parliamentary report about the persecution of Christians in Iran.

A source at the top-level briefing said: ‘Britain has a large number of Iranian refugees who have strong links to Iran, including relations among those being persecuted for their faith in the country.

‘It sounds unbelievable but it is a reality that their security is having to be analysed.

‘Names of people based in Britain have been mentioned during interrogation sessions by the security forces in Iran.’

More than 300 Christians have been arrested and interrogated in 48 Iranian cities in the last year alone.

There is particular concern for Farshid Fathi, a Protestant pastor who has recently been sentenced to a further six years in notorious Evin Prison after being jailed two years ago ‘solely on the basis of his Christian convictions’, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

A version of this story by Dominik Lemanski was first published in the Daily Star Sunday