Idaho Press - Boise Pastor’s Appeal Rejected in Iran Court
By Idaho Press
An appeals court in Tehran rejected the appeal of Boise Pastor Saeed Abedini on Sunday, refusing to reduce his eight-year prison sentence, according to a press release from the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ).
Abedini has been imprisoned in Iran since September. He was sentenced in January to eight years in prison on charges of attempting to undermine state security by creating a network of Christian churches in private homes, the Associated Press reported.
Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh, called the decision “devastating,” and the ACLJ is now exploring all legal and governmental options available, according to the organization’s press release.
“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 ACLJ, in the release. The ACLJ represents Abedini’s wife and their two children. . . .