A Christian pastor in Iran faces execution for refusing to renounce his faith in God and convert to Islam. Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani was sentenced to death for apostasy in November 2010, but during the past three days of his appeals trial, Nadarkhani was given the opportunity to avoid execution by converting to Islam. His lawyer, Mohammd Ali Dadkhah, said Nadarkhani was repeatedly pressured to recant his religious beliefs.
“He was brought to court to repent for three days. He denied repentance on all three days. The Judge kept asking my client to say, ‘I have renounced Christianity and I recognize Islam as rescinder of all other regions,’ and he kept saying ‘I won’t say that,’” said Dadkhah.
“I said in my last defense that his execution is not an appropriate and legal action from the viewpoint of Sharia Law, our own laws, and international laws, and I believe that the court accepted my opinion,” Dadkhah told the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran. “I hope that the court would vote for his acquittal and that he is released over the coming week. His apostasy charges were eliminated before, and I provided the necessary defense regarding the illegality of repentance.”
Leonard Leo, chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, called for U.S. officials to speak out in Nadarkhani’s defense.
“I would be disappointed if at the end of this whole maelstrom, there was no statement by our government on this situation. At some point the United States has to stand up for the right of this pastor and for human rights more broadly and call countries to account for what they are doing,” Leo said.
Naderkhani, 32, was born to Muslim parents. He converted to Christianity when he was 19-years-old and eventually became the pastor of a large Christian church in Rasht.
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