Pastor released from prison in Iran

 After serving more than one year of his 10-year prison sentence, an Armenian-Iranian pastor recently gained freedom from Tehran’s Evin Prison following public outcry.

Pastor Anooshavan Avedian, imprisoned on Sept. 18, 2023, was acquitted of his crimes and released on Sept. 24, 2024. Before his release, International Christian Concern, The Voice of the Martyrs, Open Doors, Middle East Concern, Article 18, and Barnabas Aid raised concerns about his case and called for his release.

Avedian was arrested on Aug. 21, 2020, after roughly 30 Iranian authorities invaded his home, where a group of Christians were praying and learning about Jesus. Authorities took everyone’s Bibles and phones and forced them to share the passwords for their devices.  

Authorities charged Avedian with “establishing and leading an illegal group with the aim of disrupting the security of the country through educational and propaganda activities contrary to, and disturbing the holy religion of Islam, through the dissemination of false claims.”

Iran is governed by Sharia law and uses the death penalty for those who insult the Prophet Muhammad. The U.S. Secretary of State has designated Iran as a Country of Particular Concern for its extreme abuses of religious freedom. Authorities target Christians, especially Muslims who illegally convert to Christianity. 

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), those who convert are often coerced into abstaining from practicing their faith. 

“Christian converts from Islam reported being detained and forced to sign commitments to refrain from further Christian activities or ordered to attend Islamic re-education sessions,” USCIRF reported in 2023. 

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