Lida Alexani (56), the wife of imprisoned Iranian house church leader Joseph Shahbazian, was arrested on April 12, 2025, by intelligence officers during a raid on her home in Tehran. She was released from Evin Prison on May 13 after posting bail. According to the organization Article 18, the bail amount was set at the equivalent of approximately 45,000 euros. During the search of her home, officials also confiscated personal belongings. So far, the charges against her have not been disclosed.

Her arrest came just two days before the funeral of her mother-in-law, who passed away on April 9. Her husband, Joseph Shahbazian, was also unable to attend the burial, as he had been arrested at home earlier on February 6, 2025. He was previously imprisoned in 2020 and was released in September 2023 following a pardon. He has been held since then in Tehran’s notorious Evin Prison.

Michaela Koller
ISHR Religious Freedom Expert