Pastor sentenced to death

VOM-USA 21 October 2010

Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani
and wife, "Sister Tina"
Photo from Present Truth Ministries

Christians in Iran are reporting that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani has been sentenced to death for what is called a "thought crime." Pastor Youcef, a leader in the Full Gospel "Church of Iran" network, was arrested in October 2009 after protesting a decision by the government requiring that his son study the Qur'an. VOM contacts confirm that the pastor's trial was held in recent weeks in the 11th Chamber of the Assize Court of the province of Gilan, but a formal verdict has not yet been delivered by the court. If a death sentence is officially handed down and Pastor Youcef is executed, his would be the first judicial execution of a Christian in Iran in two decades.

Pray that God will fill Pastor Youcef and his family with peace and that they will continue to stand on the Word, knowing that God protects His children. Pray for those in charge of Pastor Youcef's case, that God would soften their hearts and cause them to overturn their decision. Pray for all Iranian believers who are in custody, that they would know that God can use their imprisonment for His glory.

Please visit the Iran Country Report to learn more about suffering believers in Iran.

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.

Iran News

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Photo: Article 18

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Read more...
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A map of Iran, marking the arrests
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(Click on the image for a larger view.)
Photo: Article18

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Photo: Article 18

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Laleh Saati
Photo: Article18

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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