Christian Post - Pastor Saeed Abedini Suffers 'Devastating Blow' as Court Rejects Appeal, Affirms 8-Year Sentence
By Stoyan Zaimov, ChristianPost.com
Imprisoned Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini has suffered a "devastating blow" after Branch 36 of the Tehran Court of Appeals declined to reduce his 8-year prison sentence, defying strong international pressure.
"While we remained hopeful that Iran would use its own appeal process to finally show respect for Pastor Saeed's basic human rights, again Iran has demonstrated an utter disregard for the fundamentals of human rights," said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), which represents Abedini's wife, Naghmeh, and their two children.
"We are exploring all options with Pastor Saeed's family, including options in this country and abroad to bring more pressure on Iran from the U.S. and other countries around the world. The decision is deeply troubling and underscores Iran's continued violation of principles of freedom of religion, association, peaceful assembly, and expression," Sekulow continued. . . .