American pastor Saeed Abedini abruptly moved to more dangerous prison: ACLJ
Abedini was reportedly transferred from Evin Prison in Tehran to the Rajai Shahr Prison, which is known for housing violent criminals. The American Center for Law and Justice says it suspects Abedini is being used as a pawn by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, who want to throw a wrench in President Hassan Rouhani’s outreach to Washington.
Comments (3)BY CAROL KURUVILLA / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013, 5:52 PM
COURTESY ACLJ
Pastor Saeed Abedini has been sentenced to eight years in prison. He was recently transferred to a more dangerous prison and cut off from family visits. His wife, Nagmeh Abedini, fears for his life.
After spending more than a year locked up in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, Iranian-American pastor Saeed Abedini was unexpectedly transferred to an even more dangerous prison Sunday, according to lawyers at the American Center for Law and Justice.
He was surrounded by political prisoners in Evin, but at the Rajai Shahr Prison, he’s reportedly stuck in a 10x10 cell with five inmates who were likely jailed for murder or rape.
It’s the kind of place where prisoners simply disappear forever, said ACLJ’s executive director Jordan Sekulow.
OFFICIALACLJ VIA YOUTUBE
Christian Pastor Saeed Abedini, an American citizen, is languishing in an Iranian prison because of his faith. He is separated from his wife, Naghmeh, and two young children.
“He could easily be killed not by formal execution but by a fellow inmate,” Sekulow told The News. “That’s why we are so concerned right now about his safety and survival.”
News about Abedini’s transfer came as a shock to his family in Boise, Idaho. His wife, Nagmeh Abedini, has spearheaded a campaign to raise awareness about Saeed’s eight-year jail sentence in Iran, which she says is punishment for being a Christian convert. Her efforts were rewarded in September when President Barack Obama questioned Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani about Saeed’s imprisonment during a phone call.
Saeed’s case seemed to be taking a positive turn. His family members in Iran, who were allowed to visit him in Evin every Monday, noticed that his health was improving. On Sept. 26, prayer vigils for Saeed were held in 17 countries around the world. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition urging decisive diplomatic action for his freedom.
COURTESY ACLJ
According to his family, Saeed Abedini was visiting Iran to build an orphanage when the country’s Revolutionary Guard pulled him off a bus and threw him into prison.
But all of that changed.
When Saeed’s family arrived at Evin Prison for their weekly Monday visit, they were informed that Saeed had been moved to a prison in Karaj, the Rajai Shahr Prison. They spent an hour and a half driving to that prison, only to be told that Saeed was not allowed to have any visitors.
Rajai Shahr is considered one of Iran’s most brutal prisons because of reports of torture, rape and murder, the Guardian reports.
COURTESY ACLJ
Nagmeh Abedini is fighting hard for her husband’s release from prison in Iran.
“I am devastated and I do not know what to tell my children,” Nagmeh Abedini said in a statement. “I am more concerned now about his safety than at any other time during his imprisonment. I can only imagine the torment and anguish he is experiencing. He is truly defenseless in this prison — defenseless from the abuse and violence of other prisoners, defenseless from a radical government that continues to violate his rights.”
The transfer came on the anniversary of the 1979 takeover of the U.S. Embassy in Iran. The country’s Revolutionary Guards chanted “Death to America” while staging protests against Rouhani’s willingness to develop better diplomatic relations with the U.S.
Sekulow guesses that Saeed is being used as a pawn between the two sides of this rift — Rouhani’s new government and the conservative Revolutionary Guards who see America as the ultimate enemy.
OFFICIALACLJ VIA YOUTUBE
Abedini was a stay-at-home dad who had a special bedtime routine with his two kids. He has already missed two of his daughter's birthdays.
“It’s not that the U.S. isn’t doing enough,” Sekulow said. “This is about internal power struggles. Those in Iran know that if something were to happen to an American citizen, that could undermine negotiations or change the way our two countries are talking.”
The ACLJ is now calling for Obama to speak out “directly and forcefully” to save Saeed’s life.
Talks between Iran and six other world powers will resume in Geneva later this week. Negotiators left last month's session expressing hope that Rouhani's election — and full backing from Khamenei — could open room for progress in closing the gap between Western fears that Iran could eventually produce nuclear weapons and Iran's claims that it only seeks reactors for energy and medical isotopes.
Sekulow is urging the U.S. to speak with Iranian officials again in Geneva — either through a private phone conversation or through a public presentation.
“The Iranian president knows that this move could be damaging to his own efforts,” Sekulow said. “We’re not saying that President Obama could save Saeed by making a phone call. At this point, we are just asking people to do what they can to try.”
With the Associated Press
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/american-pastor-moved-dangerous-iran-prison-aclj-article-1.1507617#ixzz2jzusP9tX
Abedini is a former Muslim who converted to Christianity in 2000.[1][2] While Christianity is recognized as a minority religion under the Iranian constitution,[3] Muslim converts to Christianity suffer discrimination at the hands of Iranian authorities. In particular, such converts are disallowed from worshipping with other Christians in established Christian churches, which has led to the establishment of so-called "house" or "underground" churches where these converts can worship together.[4]
In 2002, Abedini met and married his wife Naghmeh, an American citizen. In the early 2000s, the Abedinis became prominent in the house church movement in Iran, at a time when the movement was tolerated by the Iranian government.[5][6] During this period, Abedini is credited with establishing about 100 house churches in 30 Iranian cities with more than 2,000 members.[4] With the election of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad in 2005, however, the house church movement was subjected to a crackdown by Iranian authorities and the Abedinis moved back to the United States.[5]
Abedini's first trip back to Iran was in 2009 to visit his family, when government authorities detained him. According to Abedini, he was threatened with death during his interrogation over his conversion to Christianity. Ultimately he was released after signing an agreement in which he pledged to cease all house church activities in the country.[4]
In 2008, Abedini became an ordained minister in the U.S. and in 2010, he was granted American citizenship, thus becoming a dual Iranian-American citizen.[7] Abedini had been living the past several years with his family in Boise,Idaho, where his wife grew up.[8] The couple has two children and they are members of the Calvary Chapel church.[9]
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