by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) - The sentences of nine Iranian Christian converts were upheld after a judge who has become notorious for persecuting prisoners of conscience barred them from using their own lawyers.
The nine men were sentenced to five years in prison in October for "actions against national security," a common charge against Christians in Iran, and five of them have been holed up in Iran's brutal Evin prison since July.
Judge Mohammed Moghisheh, known in Iran as the "Judge of Death" for his crusade against prisoners of conscience, increased the bail of five of the Christians to an unpayable $130,000 each when they refused to be represented by a court-appointed lawyer.
Iran is number nine on Open Doors USA's World Watch List for persecution of Christians around the world.