Pastor Nadarkhani update: Bogus charges, renewed call for action
The ACLJ has the very latest on Christian pastor Yousef Nadarkhani, who faces the death penalty in Iran because he refuses to renounce his faith.
The mullahcracy has cooked up bogus charges that now include being a “Zionist” and traitor:
In a troubling development, Christian Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani’s attorney, Mohammed Ali Dadkha, has acknowledged the possibility of the charges against him being changed. Recall, throughout the last two years and most recently at the Iranian Supreme Court, Pastor Nadarkhani was on trial for apostasy and nothing else. Now, as Fox News reported, the Iranian government is claiming that Pastor Nadarkhani was charged with a number of crimes including being a threat to national security and a Zionist, but not apostasy.
The charge of being a Zionist and thus a traitor, terms that imply he is some kind of spy for Israel and opponent of the Islamic Republic, is among the most serious accusations that can be made in Iran. Unfortunately, we know that this is the charge Iran levies to justify executing people who were actually arrested, imprisoned, and tried on completely different charges. While these new charges may be, as I said before, an attempt to deflect media and international attention, the fact that it is possible the Pastor could actually face these charges means that his life is in more danger now than it has been at any other time since the trial began.
It is also becoming more difficult to confirm that he is still alive. Throughout Pastor Nadarkhani’s two-year imprisonment, he has traditionally only been permitted to have one visitor per week. This is one barrier we have to overcome each day when we try to get solid confirmation that he is alive. We can confirm that our contacts in Iran have reported that as of yesterday evening, Pastor Youcef was still alive, but that is becoming more and more difficult to confirm each day.
More on the trumped-up charges via Fox News:
In a ruling from the Iranian Supreme Court obtained by FoxNews.com, Nadarkhani was sentenced to execution by hanging for breaking Islamic law by conducting Christian worship and baptizing himself and others.
Nowhere in the ruling is there a mention of these new charges, which were first reported by Iranian news agency FARS.
Nadarkhani’s lawyer, Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, says he has not received any of these new charges from the Supreme Court, according to the ACLJ.
“The opinions of these new charges come from the political branch. Not a single judicial figure, a prosecutor or member of the court has spoken to these new charges,” Dadkhah said through a translator.
Hello, U.N.? Hello, State Department?
The European Center for Law and Justice, an affiliate of the ACLJ and an non-governmental organization with consultative status at the U.N., is looking at taking action at the United Nations this week.
“We have not seen any new charges from the court,” an official for the U.S. State Department said. “We continue to seek additional information.”
If you haven’t signed the petition to save Nadarkhani, go here right now and spread the word.
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the religion of peace strikes again!
So they are trying to change the charges to try to justify his execution. No surprise there. THa Pastor and his flock are in my prayers.
Ironically, if the pastor had the chance to travel to the U.S. and speak at a university, there would probably be protests against him, or pies thrown at him. But those universities will honor his killers.
God bless this young man and his family. Put a hedge of angels around them Lord.
That belongs on the “Joke a Day” calendar or nothing does.
An indictment of the world we live in that is equally damning and accurate.
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May God protect this brave Christian and his family and congregation.
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He will not get any help from anywhere else. Satan is in charge now in mankind’s governments.
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John Bibb
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Father please give the pastor strength and courage to keep Your faith. Please help his family and congregation.
Amen.
L
STNG/Encounter at Farpoint
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: We humans know our past, even when we’re ashamed of it. I recognize this court system as the one that agreed with that line from Shakespeare: “Kill all the lawyers.”
Q: Which was done.
Captain Jean-Luc Picard: Leading to the rule “Guilty until proven innocent.”
Q: Of course. Bringing the innocent to trial would be unfair.
Amen.
Where’s Amnesty International? They raise a fuss when we execute murderers.
Sounds like our resident socialists.
Of course we are not buying those charges.
Mike Farrell ? Anything to say? Susan Sarandon? Any comment? Not so interested when an innocent is executed?
“The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank.”
- LCDR Montgomery Scott
Have been praying for this brave man and will continue to do so.
I guess they can’t find a defense for an accused “Zionist”.
huh;I never realized that as a ‘Zionist’ that I was also a spy for Israel. Where’s my paycheck?
Prayers upon prayers for you, brave sir. May I be half as brave if ever called to do so…
But I have to ask myself…after all of the public outcries regarding Amanda Knox, Mumia Abu-Jamal, etc…where are all the big-mouthed fellow Americans screaming from their Hollywood ivory towers? Does this man’s beliefs, though not yours, make him less innocent? Is a brave, Christian soldier not Hip enough, wouldn’t garner enough headlines? Makes me ill.
Anyone else think that by the time the U.N. or the State Department “takes action”, Iran will tell them, “Oops, we executed the Zionist spy last week. You should have said something.”
and we CHRISTIANS are going to be OUT -RAGED —WHEN!!!?
the muslims are constantly OUT _RAGED!
STEP up my Christian friends!!!
\Carol-CS
May God forgive me, but I’m getting a little tired of turning the other cheek.
Time to get outraged at the constant attacks from islam.
We may not be at war with islam, but until we admit that islam is at war with us, we will continue to suffer.
We could at least burn an Iranian and Saudi flag in front of an embassy. Maybe hang mohammed and Ahmanutjob in effigy.
Let them know that we don’t approve, no matter what our government says.
Dear Conservative Christians,
Please get on a plane headed to Iran today and go help “your people”.
Thanks,
ILMC