Iranian pastor sent to prison over 1,000 miles from his home

An Iranian pastor has been relocated to a prison over 1,000 miles from his residence in the country's southern region after he was recently arrested and facing contested accusations of undermining state security.

Pastor Matthias (Abdulreza Ali) Haghnejad of the Church of Iran has been transferred to a prison in Minab city, Hormozgan province, a significant distance from his home in Bandar Anzali, the United Kingdom-based human rights group Christian Solidarity Worldwide reports.

Pastor Haghnejad and another church leader, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, are accused of attempting to destabilize the state, a charge brought against them after a couple from their denomination allegedly incriminated them under duress.

Pastor Haghnejad was previously acquitted of similar charges in 2014, only for them to be reinstated in January 2022. These allegations were brought back to life on Nov. 25, 2019, when political police received permission from then-chief justice and Iran's current President Ebrahim Raisi to overturn a Supreme Court decision in Pastor Haghnejad's favor, according to CSW's sources.