After a short sham trial, Iran has convicted American Pastor Saeed Abedini - a U.S. citizen - and sentenced him to eight years in one of Iran's most brutal and deadly prisons (Evin Prison) - merely because he is a Christian.
- Evin Prison is the same prison holding Mohammed Ali Dadkhah. Mr. Dadkhah is the Iranian human rights lawyer who defended Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani. He is a co-founder of the Defenders of Human Rights Center (DHRC), which the Iranian regime has sought to suppress. In July 2011, he was sentenced by the Iranian judiciary to nine years in prison for attempting to overthrow the ruling system, among other charges. His sentence was upheld in April 2012, and on 29 September, he was called to prison to begin his sentence.
- International Christian Concern, a Washington advocacy group for the persecuted church, meanwhile has kept its spotlight on the plight of Pastor Benham Irani, who since his 2011 arrest has suffered severe health problems due to beatings by Iranian prison authorities and other cellmates and has been denied medical treatment. Serving a six-year sentence for "acting against the interests of national security," Irani wrote a letter from his prison cell to fellow Christians, ICC reported, speaking of his love and faith despite his suffering. http://bpnews.net/printerfriendly.asp?ID=39523
Iran has violated Pastor Saeed's human rights, violated its own constitution, and violated multiple international treaties and covenants that it voluntarily and willingly signed.
At the ACLJ, we are mobilizing a domestic and international effort to pressure Iran to abide by its treaties and agreements. We are calling on the United Nations and the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights to directly intervene and demand Pastor Saeed's release.
More than 250,000 of you signed our petition to ask the Obama Administration to intervene, and the White House and State Department responded. Take action. Sign this new petition to mobilize the international community.
Sign the Petition to Save Saeed from an Iranian Prison Sentence: http://aclj.org/petitions/list#
Jordan Sekulow
ACLJ Executive Director