05/16/2021 Iran (International Christian Concern) –  Looters have destroyed Armenian cemeteries in Iran, seeking to find antiques and other valuables. The destruction of historical Christian sites is made worse as no government intervention seeks to preserve the sites, only giving looters more freedom to survey potential targets.

An Armenian cemetery in Abadan was registered in 2002 with the National Monuments List of Iran. Yet rumors of wealth hidden among the tombs have brought looters and destruction of property.  Up until a few years ago, the cemetery was protected by guards. However, repeated clashes and raids of the cemetery caused the police to refuse to intervene. Now, the Armenian cemetery lies in ruins. Another Armenian cemetery in Hadan recently was videoed showing the widespread destruction that looters have had on the historical Christian site.

The Iranian government, including the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, has not intervened or indicated that they seek to preserve the Christian minority sites.