He was given a six-year sentence in 2012 for ‘action against national security’, ‘cooperating with foreign organisations’ and ‘evangelism’. He was also charged with having Bibles printed in Farsi, unlawfully distributing Bibles and possessing Christian literature.

During his time in prison he was held with violent criminals and suffered a broken foot during a raid on his cell by prison guards. Fathi’s sentence was later extended after he was falsely accused of possessing alcohol. In March 2015 he was accused of insulting a prison imam after defying an order for all Christian books in the ward to be inspected.

According to Mohabat News, his release came as the result of a successful appeal under the recently-passed article 134 of the Islamic Penal Code, which says that someone found guilty of multiple offences should only serve a sentence for the most serious of them. This exempted him from two years of his sentence.