Contents tagged with death sentence
Filed in: Iran | by Jordan Sekulow | 10:02 AM Nov. 10, 2011
State Department is Listening: Pastor Youcef Not Forgotten
Yesterday afternoon, a team of ACLJ attorneys met with officials from the U.S. Department of State to discuss the current situation in Iran and specifically our involvement in Pastor Nadarkhani’s case. This meeting was prompted by the State Department as a result of our relentless efforts to ensure that the diplomatic arm of the U.S. government was doing all it could to see that Pastor Youcef is released unconditionally. After repeated letters, phone calls, and a petition garnering nearly ... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Jordan Sekulow | 5:33 PM Nov. 8, 2011
Attention on Iranian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s Case Helps Persecuted Christians
With your effort, both through your prayer for Pastor Youcef and by urging for his release, we are making a difference in Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s life and for other persecuted Christians in Iran. This morning, ACLJ attorneys confirmed with Pastor Youcef’s attorney in Iran, Mohammad Ali Dadkhah, that Pastor Youcef is alive and being treated well by prison officials. Mr. Dadkhah remains hopeful that our work and your participation in Pastor Youcef’s defense will lead to a posi... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Jay Sekulow | 2:49 PM Nov. 4, 2011
Setting the Record Straight – Pastor Youcef’s Life Still Hangs in the Balance
This article is co-written by Jordan Sekulow, ACLJ Executive Director. As you know, we have been working on an international case involving life and death – the case of Youcef Nadarkhani – a Christian pastor in Iran who faces the death penalty because of his faith. In recent weeks, there have been many confusing reports promoted by Iran on Pastor Youcef’s conviction and death sentence. Let’s set the record straight once and for all. ACLJ attorneys have confirmed the acc... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Jordan Sekulow | 6:30 PM Oct. 20, 2011
United Nations - Silent No More about Pastor Youcef
Exactly two weeks after we submitted our request for U.N. Special Rapporteur Ahmed Shaheed to intervene on Pastor Youcef’s behalf, Mr. Shaheed publicly asked before the United Nations’ General Assembly’s third committee that Iran release Pastor Youcef. Presenting his interim report to the committee, Mr. Shaheed expressed his concern over Iran’s repeated violations of human rights, and he specifically cited the country’s judicial system for its complicity. He cited ... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Matthew Clark | 6:08 PM Oct. 7, 2011
Calling on United Nations to Save Christian Pastor’s Life
The ACLJ has sent a letter to the United Nations (U.N.) calling for pressure to be placed on Iran to spare the life of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and secure his immediate and unconditional release. We submitted this letter on Pastor Youcef’s behalf through our international affiliate, the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), which holds special Consultative Status with the United Nations. This letter, which includes a copy of the original Iranian Supreme Court verdict sent... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Matthew Clark | 5:09 PM Oct. 7, 2011
Senator Blunt Joins Call to Save Pastor, Condemns Iran’s Failure to Protect Religious Freedom
Senator Roy Blunt (MO) has prepared the following statement to be entered into the Senate record when the Senate comes back into session on Tuesday. We thank him for his support for Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and commitment to religious liberty around the world. I would like to take a few moments to draw the Senate's attention to a troubling situation abroad. By now many following the news have heard of the name Youcef Nadarkhani. Pastor Youcef is a Christian in Iran who has been sentenced to death for refusing to deny his faith. He was originally arrested in October 2009, while attempting to register his church. He allegedly questioned the Muslim monopoly on the religious instruction of children in the state. To Iran, his crime is his Christian faith and evangelism, and the punishment is death. For as many problems as we face in America, we are blessed that this is not one of them. The American Center for Law and Justice and other national groups have been diligently working... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Jordan Sekulow | 11:56 AM Oct. 7, 2011
Major Bipartisan Support in Congress for Pastor Youcef
There is a major development today in the fight to put pressure on Iran for Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s release. Congressmen Joe Pitts (PA-16) and Heath Shuler (NC-11) are leading a bipartisan effort to save Pastor Youcef. They are sending a letter to Secretary of State Clinton calling on her to “use all the powers at your disposal” for “swift engagement with the international community to advocate for his release.” This letter is still gaining signatures ... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Matthew Clark | 12:08 PM Oct. 6, 2011
Saving Christian Pastor, Your Voice is Being Heard
As Jordan has said, last week almost no one had heard about Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who faces execution for being a Christian in Iran, but now – in large part due to your efforts – Pastor Youcef’s story is being told. His case has been broadcast throughout major international media, and American leaders have taken aggressive steps to put pressure on Iran to release Pastor Youcef. Speaker of the House John Boehner said Pastor Youcef’s situation is “distressing for... Continue Reading
Filed in: Iran | by Jordan Sekulow | 1:38 PM Oct. 5, 2011
New Contradictions and Lies from Iran
Today, there are new disturbing and conflicting falsehoods being spread by Iranian state-funded Press TV. The latest report from this Iranian controlled media states that the Judiciary Chief Mohammad-Javad Heshmati of the Gilan Province, where Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s apostasy conviction originated, stated today that “Youssef Nadar-Khani has been charged with a crime and is in a prison based on an arrest warrant issued against him. . . . There has been no execution order.... Continue Reading
