Washington Examiner - Kerry Remains Silent as Iranians Torture American Pastor Over His Religious Beliefs

By Joel Gehrke, WashingtonExaminer.com

Secretary of State John Kerry has not responded to a congressional letter asking that he call for the release of Saeed Abedini, an American pastor being tortured by Iranian jailers who want to force him to renounce his Christianity. . . .

Kerry has not done so, though he gave a wide-ranging foreign policy speech at the University of Virginia on Wednesday, which he opened by complaining that the State Department needs more federal funding in order to “stand up for our American values” abroad. A comment about Abedini’s plight, of course, would not have cost Kerry a dime. . . .

“This new letter from Pastor Saeed could not be more clear or direct – he continues to face life-threatening abuse simply because of his religious beliefs,” said Jordan Sekulow, executive director of the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents Abedini’s wife, Naghmeh (who lives in Idaho with their children). “The letter also underscores the need to move quickly,” Sekulow continued in his statement. “A U.S. citizen is in failing health from beatings and abuse – a menacing scenario that should command the full attention and engagement of the U.S. government. It’s our hope that Secretary Kerry will act without delay – doing all that can be done by the State Department to save this U.S. citizen.”. . .

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