Iranian Christian Asylum Seeker Murdered in Holland

ICC Note: An Iranian Christian convert from Islam seeking asylum in Holland was murdered on February 18, Farsi Christian News Network (FCNN) reports. It is unclear whether the murder was persecution related, but converts to Christianity are often harassed and sometimes killed by Muslims in the Middle East for leaving Islam. “The shocking news of this senseless murder has brought grief and sorrow to the local Christians, Iranian-Christian community, and asylum seekers across the country,” reported FCNN.
3/6/2013 Iran (FCNN) – On Monday 18th Feb. 2013; murdered body of an Iranian asylum seeker from “Oisterwijk” in Brabant district of Holland, was reported found by the Dutch media.
According to the Dutch TV, police has refused to name the victim for security and private reasons, which in Holland usually indicates the police’ desire to keep their investigations away from the public eye, particularly that even after the publication of the news, no other information regarding the his death has been released. (FCNN knows his name)
Eye witnesses reported seeing the 43 year old Iranian between half past eight and nine in the evening leaving the local bus stop in southern Holland, carrying two heavy bags towards the refugee camp, some ten minutes’ walk away.
Less than an hour and a half later, around 10 pm, his body was found on the pavement close to the camp.
Two days later the Dutch newspaper “Nederland Dagblad” announced that the murdered Iranian asylum seeker was a Christian converted with a Muslim back ground and a frequent visitor at the church in “Noardburgum” city. A senior member of the church told the reporter that the victim has been a regular visitor for the last 18 months, studying the Holy Bible and attending Sunday services.
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