In case you missed it, you can read Part 1 here.
04/04/2019 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – “I haven’t done anything wrong and have been deprived of basic needs,” said Naderi in an open letter. “However, I’ve always prayed for you to be fair and just. Not only did you not stick to any of your promises you gave in the court, in front of the pastor, my family, and all the people who were present, you hated me more and more every day.”
Judge Mashallah Ahmadzadeh (JMA) sought to crush Naderi. He sentenced him to 10 years in prison for “violating national security,” including an additional five-year prison sentence for “insulting Islamic sanctities.” Naderi earned the extra sentence by posting to Facebook about the price of chicken with a Quranic style of writing. Naderi is currently appealing his sentence and has been temporarily released from prison.
Meanwhile, JMA continues with his attacks on the Church. It’s impossible to know the exact number of Christians who have suffered at his hands, but dozens are believed to be currently facing charges in his court.
Evin Prison: The Engine of Church Growth
Two hundred and fifty Christians like Naderi have been swallowed up and (some) spit out by Evin Prison, the most notorious prison in Iran. As reports of horrific suffering under abominable conditions surface, the Church may be tempted to hysteria. After all, the Church is the primary target of the Iranian court system. However, Church growth in Iran has been expanding alongside, in spite of, and perhaps because of government persecution. God has thwarted Satan’s attempts to use the Iranian court system for evil. Iranian Christians have been converting from Islam by the thousands! Evin Prison does not spell out death for the Church in Iran; it’s the engine of Church growth.
ICC Taking Action
ICC is calling on the United States government to hold the Iranian court system accountable for its cruel injustice. For the past year, ICC has been compiling records on Christians who have endured unjust and violent abuse within Evin Prison. ICC submitted detailed documents tracing the abuse of Christian prisoners for further review by the U.S. Department of Treasury. Should this human rights abuse be taken seriously by the U.S. government, the judges’ actions and travel power will be severely limited under the Global Magnitsky Act.
ICC will soon be releasing more information in an exclusive series on Iran, featuring stories from victims, descriptions of Evin Prison, and information regarding the plight of the greater Church in Iran.
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org
