by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - Authorities in Iran arrested a Christian woman who converted from Islam during protests last week against the accidental downing of a Ukrainian passenger jet, though it is still not known whether she had any involvement with the demonstrations.
Fatemeh Mohammadi, who now goes by the name of "Mary" since her conversion, had formerly been prosecuted by the Iranian regime for failing to properly wear a hijab and been sentenced to six months in prison for "action against national security" and "propaganda against the system."
"Soft repression" by the regime in Iran is “institutionalizing false beliefs through selective coverage of the news,” Mary had tweeted in her capacity as an activist, explaining that the Islamist government tells “lies that are bigger and more repetitive [to] make them more believable.”
She was picked up by security Sunday evening in Azadi square near the protests and her whereabouts are currently unknown.
The new Open Doors USA World Watch List for Iran revealed that there were at least 169 arrests of Christians in the Islamic Republic in 2018 and 2019, 114 of those occurring over one week toward the end of 2018.