Death Rumor Debunked: Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani is Alive and Well

As we know, it doesn't take long for a rumor or false report to make its way around the world. The ACLJ was notified last night by a reporter that an Anglican vicar in Iraq had posted a message to his Facebook page revealing that Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, who was released from an Iranian prison last fall after nearly three years, was dead.

That was quickly picked up by social media and the unconfirmed report continued to gain traction.

We contacted our sources inside Iran and confirmed that the report was indeed false - Youcef is not dead, but alive and well. Several of our sources today talked directly to Pastor Youcef himself.

And, Jason DeMars of Present Truth Ministries, who was very involved in the Pastor Youcef case, also knocked down the rumor telling the news organization that published the initial report that "Youcef is alive and he is doing fine."

We know that rumors abound inside Iran. False reports are the order of the day. That is why it is so important that we continue to seek out and report the truth. And the truth is that while Pastor Youcef is alive and well, with his family in Iran, American Pastor Saeed Abedini continues to suffer in one of Iran's most deadly prisons. Separated from his family who lives in the United States, Pastor Saeed is facing life-threatening treatment and abuse because of his Christian faith.

What is also true is that international support for Pastor Saeed continues to grow. With more than 420,000 names on our SaveSaeed petition, the world is watching and calling on Iran to release this U.S. citizen without delay. If you haven't added your name to our petition, please do it now.