Secretary of State Clinton Calls for Pastor Youcef’s Release “Immediately and Unconditionally”

In a major development in the fight to save the life of Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani who faces execution for his faith in Iran, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called for his unconditional release.

Sixty-three years to the day after world leaders first gathered at the United Nation’s General Assembly in solidarity for the protection of human rights worldwide, Secretary Clinton stated, “Today, we call on every government to release all prisoners of conscience immediately and unconditionally, including Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani . . . .”

Nearly 200,000 Americans had urged Secretary Clinton to make this call for Pastor Youcef’s release through our petition to pressure Iran.

We appreciate Secretary of State Clinton’s strong statement in support of Pastor Youcef, and continue to urge the United Nations, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and Muslim leaders to speak out about this horrific human rights abuse and pressure Iran for Pastor Youcef’s release.

We will continue working with the State Department in fighting for Pastor Youcef’s release, as we expect a decision from Iran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei later this month.