At the end of January 2013, American Pastor Saeed Abedini was sentenced to 8 years in Evin Prison in Tehran, one of the most brutish prisons in Iran. His crime? Establishing an orphanage since 2000 and thus “threatening the national security of Iran.” Pastor Saeed is only 32 years old and has two young children, he also converted from Islam to Christianity in 2000 when he began his work with the Christian house church movement. He is also a U.S. citizen, his wife and kids live in Idaho.
Now, more than 80 Senators and Representatives are urging Secretary of State, John Kerry, to intervene in this matter for the sake of international religious freedom. This is a bipartisan effort asking Secretary Kerry to “exhaust every possible option” to release Pastor Abedini as quickly as possible. In the past, John Kerry has denounced Iran for Abedini’s imprisonment, calling it a “violation of the universal right of freedom of religion.”
Read more: Christianpost.com
