In four days, on 8 September, Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani will appear in court again, this time to face new charges that may be related to crimes against national security.
Pastor Nadarkhani has spent over 1,000 days in prison since he was sentenced to death for apostasy in 2010. He has been in court several times and been given the opportunity to recant his faith to see the death sentence lifted. Each time, he refused. CSW has been campaigning for him since his arrest, and the international pressure on his case has so far helped to delay his execution.
Now, the Iranian authorities are putting him on trial again. The exact charges have not been released but there are fears he may be charged with national security crimes or even blasphemy. According to our sources, judges reportedly received instructions to try Pastor Nadarkhani on new, trumped up charges in order to make his sentence appear more acceptable.
If accurate, the latest information from the Mohabat News Agency makes his situation even more worrying. According to reports issued last Friday, Iran’s new penal code states that anyone committing a national or international security crime can be charged with “spreading corruption on earth” and could receive the death sentence. That’s why we want to cover Pastor Nadarkhani in prayer on the day of the trial. We’ve got around 100 prayer slots available, so just pick your preferred slot, and don’t worry if someone’s already signed up for your chosen time. The more people praying the better!
>> Sign up for your prayer slot today!
Thank you for your support
Blessings
The CSW Team
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