Iran
Government crackdown intensifies as Pastor faces ‘death penalty’ for Christian activities
A well-known Iranian pastor faces execution after two judges agreed to make him ‘liable to capital punishment’, as part of a crackdown on the growing Protestant church movement in the Islamic nation.
Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was detained in June along with his wife, Fatemeh Pasandideh, in the northwestern city of Rasht, because of their Christian activities. A senior pastor of the Church of Iran movement said that judges had ‘already signed’ an Islamic order that would potentially allow a death sentence for Nadarkhani, pending further investigations.
News of Pastor Youcef’s arrest overshadowed joy over the release of several other Christians, including two Church of Iran believers and two identified only as ‘Brothers Mehdi and Afshin’. They were part of a group of eight believers arrested last month. One, Fatemeh Kojouri Tork, remains in Tehran's notorious Evin prison, while her husband, Behrouz Sadegh Khanjani, who was one of a group of seven arrested on 11 January, is still being kept in isolation in a security prison in the southwestern city of Shiraz. Concerns remain over the wellbeing of a number of other believers, including Pastor Behnam who remains in detention.
Pastor Behrouz in prayer with fellow believers
Over the last decade the Iranian church has grown significantly and Open Doors now estimates the total number of Christians in Iran to be about 450,000. The government has intentionally sought to stop this growth and make it impossible for Christians to practise their religion. Although churches connected to minority groups, such as Armenians and Assyrians, are allowed to teach their own people in their own language, it is forbidden to minister to people with a Muslim background (speaking Farsi). Source: BosNewsLife
Please pray:
1. Remember believers such as Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, Fatemeh Kojouri Tork, Behrouz Sadegh Khanjani and Pastor Behnam who are in prison because of their faith. Ask God to strengthen them physically, emotionally and spiritually, so that they will be a ‘light in the darkness’.
2. Thank God that despite the horrendous circumstances for Christians in Iran and the opposition they face from the government, the church is growing.
3. Pray for the house church movement, which is responsible for much of the growth of the church. Ask God to protect its leaders and give them wisdom and understanding.
With many thanks for your prayers.
John
Prayer communications, Open Doors
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