Convert Released from Prison

06 September 2006

^{Photos from}^{Compass Direct}^{, used by permission}

One month after ordering his arrest, court authorities in Rasht, Iran have released Issa Motamedi Mojdehi, declaring the Christian convert from Islam to be "free for the moment." According to a September 4 report from Compass Direct, Motamedi Mojdehi was granted bail on August 24 on the basis of a written guarantee from a fellow Christian.

Motamedi Mojdehi was arrested on false drug charges on July 24 (click here for the details). While those charges remain, the judge introduced further allegations on August 24, claiming his eight-year-old daughter Martha had been trying to lead other children to the Christian faith.

Issa has reportedly taken his wife and two children and moved to an undisclosed location. "Pray for me, that I would be stronger in my faith," he told local believers. He states that the calmness and protection God gave to him during his weeks in prison were miraculous.

For more information on the persecution facing Christians in Iran, click here. The Voice of the Martyrs Newsletter features the courageous testimonies of Iranian Christians. To read this article online, subscribe today to our newsletter at our Newsletter Page.

Current Ministry Fund
By funding television broadcasts, VOMC is making it possible for a vast audience of viewers to be reached throughout Iran with the "Good News" of Jesus' love via satellite.

Project Fund: Underground Church
Country Information
Designation
Persecuted

Population
87,590,873 (2023 est.)

Ethnicity
Persian, Azeri, Kurd, Lur, Baloch, Arab, Turkmen and Turkic tribes

Religion (%)
Islam (98.5), Christian (0.7), Baha'i (0.3), agnostic (0.3), other (0.2)

Leader
Ayatollah Ali Hoseini-Khamenei (1989)

Government type
Theocratic republic

Legal system
Religious legal system based on secular and Islamic law

Source: CIA World Factbook
Pray for Iran
As the Gospel message goes forth over the airwaves, may the growth of the church continue to multiply despite persecution. Pray that the Iranian government will be open to change, allowing full rights and protection for its non-Muslim citizens as well. In the meantime, may those who are forced to flee the country find safe refuge and help so they can live in peace and worship the Lord with freedom.

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Photo: Article 18

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A map of Iran, marking the arrests
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(Click on the image for a larger view.)
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Laleh Saati
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Laleh Saati is a Christian convert and former asylum-seeker who was incarcerated in February 2024 and sentenced to two years in prison. (For more information on the imprisonment of this 46-year-old Iranian follower of Jesus, visit this page.) Throughout Laleh's time in custody, concerns have been raised about her physical health and psychological well-being. Most recently, it was reported that the Christian woman was denied needed medical treatment for a hand injury that had occurred as a result of a fall.

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