46 Reps., 20 Senators Send Bipartisan Letter to President Obama Thanking Him for Speaking Out for Pastor Saeed

By 

Jordan Sekulow

|
February 26, 2014

2 min read

Middle East

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Today, 66 Members of Congress, including 20 Senators, sent a bipartisan letter to President Obama thanking him for recently speaking out for American Pastor Saeed Abedini and urging his Administration to do every thing in its power to bring this U.S. citizen home.

Led by Senators Rob Portman (OH) and James Risch (ID) and Representatives Robert Pittenger (NC-9) and Bill Cassidy (LA-6), the letter states:

Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for your comments at the National Prayer Breakfast calling for the release of prisoners held around the world because of their religious beliefs such as Pastor Saeed Abedini. Pastor Abedini, a dual Iranian-American citizen, has now been imprisoned in Iran for over a year, simply because of his Christian faith. While reports show he has been moved to a ward for political prisoners, he is still being held in Rajai Shahr Prison, home to Iran's most violent criminals. Further, his health and wellbeing remain a serious concern.

Family members who have visited Pastor Abedini report he continues to experience severe abdominal pain. Although a physician declared the need for Pastor Abedini to undergo surgery months ago, he is still being treated solely with pain medication.

We the undersigned, urge you and your Administration to continue to act on statements by Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif last month. The Minister's statement, a first by an lranian official, raised clemency as an alternative to Pastor Abedini serving his eight year prison sentence in full.

These statements must be met with caution, but our hope is the Administration will take full advantage of this opportunity to bring Pastor Abedini home to his wife and children. Thank you for your attention to this matter.

We echo these sentiments and too urge President Obama and his Administration to remain vigilant and use every opportunity and resource at their disposal to bring Pastor Saeed home.  Foreign Minister Zerif’s comments last month about clemency do indeed represent the greatest hope yet of bringing Pastor Saeed home to his wife and children here in the U.S.

Please continue to pray and share Pastor Saeed’s story as we continue working behind the scenes and around the world for his release.