In brief
Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a 27-year-old Iranian convert to Christianity, fled her homeland seeking freedom from persecution. Despite her attempts to find safety in the United States, she now faces challenges in a migrant detention camp in Panama alongside fellow Iranian Christian converts.
Article:Artemis Ghasemzadeh's life took a poignant turn when she first entered a church during a visit to Turkey, an experience that brought her immense peace. It was there that she purchased a Bible, which she meticulously smuggled back to her home city of Isfahan in Iran. Over the course of three years, Ghasemzadeh's journey of faith progressed through secretive channels, including underground churches and covert online classes. Her baptism marked a significant transformation as she embraced her new Christian identity, describing herself as “reborn.”However, her conversion posed monumental risks. In Iran, while those born into Christianity can freely practice, the nation’s strict Shariah laws condemn the renouncement of Islam as blasphemy, a crime that carries the ultimate penalty of death. Many individuals in her Bible study faced arrest, heightening the sense of danger surrounding her choice.In December, motivated by the desire for a life free of fear and persecution, Ghasemzadeh embarked on a perilous journey to the United States. "I wanted to live freely, to live without fear, to live without someone wanting to kill me," she stated in an emotional phone interview.Unfortunately, her pursuit of safety has landed her in a migrant detention camp situated on the fringes of the Darién jungle in Panama. Ghasemzadeh, along with nine other Iranian Christian converts, including three children, find themselves among dozens who are held in the Saint Vincente camp. The uncertainty of their future looms large as they await their fate in a foreign country, far from the home they risked everything to flee.
