Congress Unanimously Supports Pastor Youcef
The U.S. House of Representatives joined many other governmental bodies internationally in calling for the immediate release of Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani.
The House of Representatives unanimously passed H.Res. 556, “Condemning the Government of Iran for its continued persecution, imprisonment, and sentencing of Youcef Nadarkhani on the charge of apostasy.”
This bi-partisan resolution, spearheaded by Representatives Joe Pitts (R-PA), an evangelical Christian conservative, and Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim in Congress, directly called “for the Government of Iran to exonerate and immediately and unconditionally release Youcef Nadarkhani and all other individuals held or charged on account of their religious or political beliefs.”
On passage of this critical resolution, Speaker of the House John Boehner stated:
The House sent a clear message today: the government of Iran should immediately exonerate and release Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, an Iranian Christian, and all others imprisoned by the regime for their religious beliefs. Religious freedom is a universal human right. No person – of any country or creed – should live in fear of persecution for worshipping as they see fit, or be forced by government mandate to disavow or compromise their faith. Iran’s leaders should release Youcef Nadarkhani and anyone held or charged because of their religious beliefs at once.
The truly bi-partisan support in the House to stand up for Pastor Youcef and demand his release is extraordinary. Iran is violating international law with its detention and promised execution of Pastor Youcef. We're grateful that so many members of Congress - from different political and religious backgrounds - understand the importance of standing up for religious freedom, for human rights.
Our attention now turns toward a similar resolution being introduced in the Senate, by Senator Vitter, along with co-sponsors Rubio, DeMint, Hoeven, Kirk, Blunt and Hatch.
We also continue to expand our global social media campaign to free Pastor Youcef. Our Tweet for Youcef campaign is closing in on reaching one million Twitter accounts around the globe, a vital tool in keeping Pastor Youcef in the media spotlight keeping pressure on Iran.
In addition to passing this critical resolution in support of Pastor Youcef, a number of Members of Congress have also taken to social media sharing the plight of Pastor Youcef with their constituents. We know that Representatives Bachmann, Ellison, Forbes, Franks, Lankford, and Pitts have tweeted for Youcef, and we are sure there are others.
It is critical that we keep up the pressure on Iran. Please sign up for the Tweet for Youcef campaign today and help us reach one million Twitter accounts for Pastor Youcef.