Inter-religious farewell to Iranian Christian martyr

A funeral procession was arranged for Johnny Bet Oshana, an Iranian Christian whose body had just been discovered after having given his life 38 years before to protect his nation.

Iran (IMNA) - The funeral was conducted in the Iranian capital of Tehran after Friday prayers, and both Muslims and Christians attended.

Oshana, 20, was martyred in March 1985 while participating in Operation Badr along the Tigris River as an Army soldier during the war imposed on the Islamic Republic of Iran by Saddam Hussein's Baathist administration.

The Assyrian Association of Tehran reported this week that his bones were discovered and identified through DNA testing in March 2023.

Inter-religious farewell to Iranian Christian martyr

According to the group, none of his close family were available to attend his funeral rites. This spurred Iranians from all backgrounds to declare their willingness to fill the void to the best of their abilities.

Following a ceremony at Tehran's St. Joseph Assyrian Catholic Church, his body was transferred to the Christian minority's cemetery in Islamshahr, southwest of the capital.

According to Assyrian customs and rites, he was put to rest near his parents.

The eight-year war resulted in the martyrdom of around 230,000 Iranian soldiers and the disablement of close to 600,000. Nearly 43,000 more people ended up as prisoners of war, and many more disappeared.

Inter-religious farewell to Iranian Christian martyr

News ID 657710

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